


The Back-Up

by daisybucky



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-09 00:12:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10399326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisybucky/pseuds/daisybucky
Summary: You and Bucky make a pact in your senior year of high school that if the two of you were still single at 30, you’d get married.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea from a youtube red series called 'Single at 30'.

__**then –** _  
_

It was Spring of your senior year in high school meaning prom was only a few months away. You had planned on skipping the dance when Wanda finally convinced you to go. 

You didn’t want to go, mainly because no one had asked you, and the only person you’d want to go with hadn’t. 

“Hey Gorgeous,” You looked up and saw your best friend since childhood, Bucky Barnes, smiling down at you. He was crouching down, both his hands on his knees with one of his backpack straps hanging on one of his shoulders. 

You rolled your eyes at him, sitting up from the curb. You picked up your books from the ground as you dusted off your bottom. 

“Took you long enough Barnes.” You sighed, one hand holding your textbooks and the other was holding onto our free backpack strap that hung free.

“Could you blame me? Mr. Jeffords was bringing down my whole GPA.” 

“And you being you, had to talk your way out of this.” 

Bucky grinned, bringing up his last essay for the class. A bright red A- on the right side of the paper and on the left was an x-ed out C+. 

You whistled, amazed. “I gotta hand it to you, you sure know the right words to say to get your way.” 

The two of you made your way off of the school campus, headed towards Bucky’s house. Everyday after school, you’d spend a few hours at his place before going back to yours. Bucky without missing a beat, would always walk you home. 

“So, prom… heard you were going.” Bucky stated nonchalantly.

You shrugged your shoulders, “Yeah, Wanda wouldn’t let me hear the end of it. She’s making me go.” 

“Hasn’t anyone asked you?” He asked, his voice being uncharacteristically soft. 

You shook your head, “No, not yet at least.” You cleared your throat, “What about you? I’m surprised you haven’t asked anyone yet. I thought you were thinking of going with someone in our Calculus class?” 

Bucky let out a sigh, “I dunno, I’m kinda scared to ask her out.” 

You stopped in your tracks, “Wait, seriously Barnes? I’m really shocked right now, I think I need a moment to recollect myself.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes at you, stopping on the sidewalk right next to you, “You’re not funny.” He said, pouting. 

You covered your mouth to conceal a laugh, you felt your heart melt a little seeing Bucky this way.

“Okay, I’m sorry, but it’s just weird. Soft and fluffy Bucky doesn’t come out very often.” you say teasingly. “Who’s the girl?” you ask. 

Bucky turns his body back to the direction of his house and began to walk without you.

“Hey wait! Barnes! I know where you live, you can’t run from me!” 

 

_**now –** _

You let out a shallow sigh, biting down on your lip whilst tapping your foot on the ground. To say you were nervous was an understatement; you were back in your hometown after been gone for almost a decade and you had no solid plan. 

You stood in front of a clothing boutique, frowning at the window as you looked at the expensive garments, sad that your once favorite candy store had been replaced. 

You left San Fransisco in a haste, you didn’t want to give yourself any time to second guess your decision to move back to Brooklyn. 

It was strange, you thought, you felt a sense of familiarity yet there were a lot of things you could barely recognize. 

You were pulled out of your thoughts when you heard a familiar voice call out your name. 

You look up and see that it was indeed Steve Rogers, a lot taller than you remembered, with so much more muscles that you could ever thought possible to be on someone. 

“Steve!” You say excitedly, happy to see a familiar face. 

He pulled you into a bone-crushing hug, he mumbled a quick sorry when he heard you groan from how hard he squeezed you. 

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you in the flesh! I had to make sure it was really you.” He grinned, showing off his perfect teeth. 

You smiled back, “It’s no big, I missed you too!” 

He looked down at his watch and cursed silently, “I didn’t even realised the time! Hey, are you busy tonight?” He asked you suddenly. 

“No actually, I’m free, why?” You replied, the only plans you made was to call room service and order as many dishes as you can before you let the reality of your situation truly sink in. 

“It’s Bucky’s birthday today, Sam and I planned a surprise party for him. It would be really awesome if you went.” 

You felt the wind knocked out of you the moment you heard his name. _Bucky._  It had been a long while since you let your mind wander at the thought of him. _Your childhood best friend._

“You sure? I mean, we lost contact with each other a while ago.” You say, unsure of how to reply. 

Steve noticed you hesitate, he never really got the whole story to why you and Bucky stopped talking but he knew that Bucky would be elated seeing you. 

“Yeah, he’d be delighted to see you! Plus it’s his birthday, which is like both of your guys’ favorite holiday, next to Christmas.” He grinned. 

You couldn’t help but smile at Steve’s words as fond memories of you and Bucky celebrating his birthday flood into your mind. 

“Sure, I’ll go, where is it at?” 

Steve gave you the address to the bar and told you that it would be at 9:00pm. He wanted the partygoers to come by a little earlier, around 8:45pm so that by the time he arrived with Bucky, everyone would yell out surprise. 

“Wanda and the rest of the gang will be there, they’ll all be so happy to see you!” 

Steve hugged you once more before sprinting away, a small smile on your lips as you watched him go. 

You let out a sigh, trying to wrap your mind to the thought of seeing Bucky once again. 

It had been years since you last saw or even heard from Bucky. You managed to keep contact with Wanda and Natasha through social media but other than that, it was like you were meeting complete strangers. 

Shrugging your shoulders, you decided to go back to your hotel room to get ready for the party.

* * *

You decided on wearing a black turtleneck, high-waisted jeans, and black cut-out booties. You wore neutral eyeshadow for your eye makeup with winged eyeliner and a red lip. You smiled at your reflection, grabbing your phone and handbag, you exited the room and made your way to the venue. 

The club Steve mentioned was only a few blocks away, you opted to walk instead of hailing a cab. The walk didn’t take too long, once you were there you felt butterflies in your stomach. 

You entered the club and saw a few familiar faces, you bit down on your lip as you saw Wanda spot you, her eyes scanning you up and down, her face breaking into a smile as she realised who you were. 

She made her way towards you, her heels clicking on the marble floors, if she could she would have sprinted towards you. 

She squealed, calling out your name as she pulled you into a hug. 

“Oh my gosh I can’t believe it’s really you!” She gushes, her eyes twinkling with happiness. “Steve told me earlier but I thought he was just messing around!” 

You smile shyly, shrugging your shoulders, “Yeah, I just got here today actually.” 

She interlocks her arm with yours, pulling her with you. “Come on! The rest of the gang needs to see you!” 

The two of you make your way towards the bar where Natasha, Clint, and Vision were all hanging out. 

“Hey guys, look who I found!” 

The three gasped in shock and you could feel your face heat up at their reactions. 

“It’s really you!” The three said in unison. 

“Y-yeah, hey everyone.” You say. 

Before anyone else could say another word, the lights dimmed and you heard Steve talking loudly. 

The room falls silent, everyone was anticipating Steve, Bucky, and Sam to enter the room. 

You can hear Bucky’s laugh, your heart beating inside your chest frantically at the sound. _You never realized how much you missed it._

The front door of the bar opens as the three entered and within seconds, the lights brighten and a surprised Bucky enters the room with his two friends. 

You and everyone yell out ‘Surprise!’ as the group of people begin to crowd Bucky, patting him on the shoulder and telling him ‘Happy Birthday!’ and promises of birthday shots. 

You decided on standing next to the bar, unsure if you should approach him. You order a shot of tequila, then passing a five dollar bill to the bartender, mumbling a quick thanks. 

You down the shot in one go, the burn of the alcohol livening up your sense, _it’s now or never._  

You walk towards him, he was hugging Wanda when he locked eyes with you. Wanda let go and suppressed a giggle at Bucky’s reaction of you. 

“Happy Birthday!” You say, smiling at a incredibly surprised Bucky. 

“(Y/N),” He says breathlessly, unsure if what he was seeing was actually real. 

“Snap out of it man and hug your childhood friend!” Sam says, pushing Bucky towards you. 

He finally snaps out of his daze and immediately pulls you into a hug. You wrap your arms around Bucky and you swear you felt your whole body buzzing in his hold. 

The two of you break apart, Bucky letting out an awkward chuckle while you wrapped one of your arms around your waist. 

“We should give them some privacy.” Steve says, pushing Sam to the direction of the bar. Wanda winks at you before pulling Natasha with her to the dance floor, and the rest of the group following suit. 

Bucky motions towards an empty table nearby and you follow, sitting down at one of the empty chairs. 

Once the two of you are situated, your eyes meet with his and he lets out another laugh. 

“I just, I can’t believe it’s you!” He says, still not believing that you were right in front of him. 

“Yeah, I just got back today actually. I met Steve by chance while I was walking around the neighborhood.” 

“It’s a lot different than you remembered, huh?” 

You nodded your head, “I can’t believe it.” 

A waiter came by and asked for your orders. You decided on a long island tea while Bucky ordered a beer. The waiter came back with your drinks and the two of you began to catch up. 

 _It was weird_ , you thought, how easy it was to fall back into a friendship with Bucky. 

The two of you were talking as if your falling out never happened, quite frankly your memory was fuzzy on the reason why the two of you stopped being friends. 

Bucky tells you about how he’s planning on opening a mechanic shop with Steve and Sam very soon. They already had the location set, but there were still a lot of details they needed to iron out. 

You mention to him about one of your many trips to different foreign countries, mainly due to work, and he was fascinated at everything you said. About how you went to Rome and visited the Colosseum. 

“Yeah, I think Steve showed me a few photos of that trip.” He mentions. 

“Oh yeah, I noticed you stopped using Facebook. I was always curious about that.” You say. 

Bucky shrugs his shoulders, “I wasn’t into it. The whole letting everyone know what your doing every second. Plus I got hacked once and some of my family members were not happy about that.” He chuckled. 

Bucky took a sip of his beer while your hands held onto the half-empty glass of long island tea. 

“So are you back for good?” He asked. 

You shrugged your shoulders, “Yeah, I guess. I didn’t really have a plan other than to, ya’know, leave…” You say, feeling your throat tighten at your words. 

Even though you could feel yourself opening up to the idea of being friends with Bucky Barnes, you were still hesitant. 

“You don’t have to tell me but I’m curious, why’d you come back? You’re not the type to do things so last minute.” 

You let out a sigh, biting down on your bottom lip, “God, don’t laugh okay,” _You were actually going to tell him._ You blamed the alcohol. 

“It’s cause of a guy.” You say, feeling the weight on your chest disappear. 

Bucky’s jaw tightened, his mind going to different scenarios. Whoever this guy was, Bucky wanted his fist to meet this guys’ face. 

“We were going out for almost two years when I realized we didn’t want the same things.” You started, “I still wanted to explore the world, go to Fiji, anywhere really, but he wanted to settle down and start a family.” 

You brought the glass to your lips and drank the remaining contents of your drink. 

“I broke up with him, we stayed being friends but…” You let out a shaky sigh, “He started going out with my roommate and now, they’re getting married.” 

Bucky stared at you, unsure of what to say. 

“And the thing is, I don’t think I should even be feeling like this, I’m the one that broke it off, I’m the one that didn’t want to be with him but- it still hurts you know?” 

Bucky reaches his hand out to squeeze yours, to comfort you. You smiled at the gesture and thanked him. 

“I didn’t mean to damper the mood, it’s your birthday for fucks’ sake.” You let out shakily, covering your mouth. 

“Don’t worry about it. I mean, I thought I was gonna grab a few beers with Steve and Sam, grab a few tacos and call it a night. The party scene is more of Sam’s really.” 

“We can still do that, if you’d like.” You say, standing up for your seat, a smile growing on your lips. 

Bucky saw a mischievous twinkle in your eyes and memories of the two of you scheming as kids flooded his mind. He stands up as well and places the empty bottle of beer on the table. 

“Let’s go.” 

* * *

The two of you left the bar, Bucky texted Steve that the two of you were gonna grab some tacos from the late-night taco truck that frequented at a nearby park. 

Yours and Bucky’s steps fell in-sync as the two of you passed by closed stores, the two of you crossed the street to walk through the park. 

The two of you quickly spotted the food truck and fell into queue. Once the customers in front of you ordered, Bucky ordered three carne asada tacos while you opted for one fish taco and their ultimate nachos. 

“How does it feel to be thirty?” You asked as the two of you waited for your food. 

Bucky smiles, suddenly remembering the pact the two of you made back in high school. 

“Doesn’t feel any different than twenty-nine.” 

The person called out your names and the two of you grabbed your food, deciding to sit down at a nearby bench to eat your food. You take a bite out of your taco, savoring the crispiness of the fish and spice of the sauce inside. 

“Do you still remember our pact?” He asked, breaking the silence. 

You felt a smile grow on your face, you nodded. “Yeah, why?” You say, as you wipe your lips with a napkin. 

“Well, I mean, I just turned thirty, and you’re turning thirty in two months… We could use those remaining two months to find suitable partners for each other.” Bucky states nonchalantly while eating his taco. 

“Bucky, that’s ridiculous.” You let out a laugh. 

“Is it? I knew you like the back of my hand, and vice-versa. I know what to look out for you and you know what to look out for me. This could work. And if we don’t find them, then we get married.” 

“Are you sure you’re not drunk anymore?” You say as you grab a cheese and salsa drenched nacho. 

“I’m not drunk at all, and this is the clearest my mind has ever been in a while.” 

You stare at him for a few moments, seriously considering his offer. 

“I mean, what have we got to lose?” 


	2. Chapter 2

_**then –** _

You twirled the straw of your strawberry milkshake, you looked up to see that Bucky was walking towards your booth with a plate of fries. 

“Did you just come back from the dance?” He asked as he sat down on the opposite side from where you sat, placing down the fries on the middle of the table. 

You grabbed a fry and dunked it in your milkshake then eating it. 

“Yeah… sorry I know I promised you a dance but-” 

“It wasn’t your scene?” Bucky finished your sentence. 

You nodded your head, taking a sip from your shake. 

He smiled and nodded his head, “Yeah, I get what you mean.” 

You quirked your eyebrow up, surprised at his words. 

“Bucky Barnes, not into dances? For as long as I can remember, you danced better than you walked!” 

Bucky let out a snort, rolling his eyes at you. “You’re unbelievable.” 

“What? I’m sure you won Prom King too! How can you not like them?” 

Bucky shrugs his shoulders, “Dunno, something feels missing nowadays.” He says, looking at you while you stared down at your shake. 

You looked up and met his gaze, Bucky freezes and lets out a cough, grabbing a few fries from the plate and stuffing it into his mouth. You look at him weirdly and decided not to think too much of it.

“So did you win?” you ask. 

“Yeah and Nat won Prom Queen. It was so weird dancing with her in front of everyone, they were all staring at us.” 

You smiled knowing both of your good friends won. “I’m glad, Nat deserves it, she’s basically running the whole school.” Other than being the VP of the senior class, Natasha was also head cheerleader, president of the debate club, took five AP classes, and was also a part of the drum-line. 

“That and you didn’t want Dot to win.” He grinned childishly. 

You rolled your eyes at him, annoyed that he mentioned her name, “Ugh, don’t even start with me Barnes. She stole my 96 Crayola crayons box in the first grade and you know it!” You crossed your arms and pouted. 

Bucky laughed at the sight of you, one of his hands clutching this stomach. 

“Oh Sweetheart, that was ages ago, just let it go.” He said as he wiped a single tear that escaped from the corner of his left eye. 

You sighed and stuck your tongue out at him, “Whatever Barnes.” 

The two of you fell into comfortable silence once more, you finished the remaining contents of your drink, while Bucky swirled a single fry inside the small container of ketchup. 

“You never told me who you wanted to go to Prom with.” He stated, breaking the silence. 

You didn’t want to look up to meet his gaze, you shrugged your shoulders. 

“Doesn’t matter, he was going with someone else anyways.” 

Before Bucky could answer, you asked him why he didn’t tell you who he wanted to ask. 

“Told you, I was too nervous.” 

“We should have just gone together then,” you say casually, unaware of how your words made Bucky freeze for a moment. 

“What?” 

“I mean, we could have just had each other as back-up dates! You know, the whole pressure of having a prom date wouldn’t be as scary if you knew that you’d still have a date.” 

Bucky looks at you, his eyes wide in astonishment, “You’re talking nonsense.” 

“I’m serious! If I was your back-up, wouldn’t you be less nervous asking that girl to be your date?” You quipped. 

“I guess…” Bucky replied quietly. 

“See! I know what I’m talking about. Gosh Barnes, you should listen to me more often.” You smiled, taking a fry from the plate. 

Bucky lets out a laugh as you ate you fry, “Okay then, let’s make a pact.” 

It was now your turn to look at him with bewilderment. 

“A pact for what?” 

“If we’re not married by the time we’re in our 30s, lets get married.” 

You let out a short, instantly covering your mouth and nose as you did. 

“You’re not thinking straight right now.”

“What? It’s a good plan! Wouldn’t you be taking more risks knowing that in the end you’d still have a good thing to fall back to?” 

You opened your mouth to say something but Bucky glared at you, “Hey, I’m a catch!” He says, pouting his lips and puffing out his cheeks. 

“I didn’t say anything!” You giggled at his reaction. 

“I know you Sweetheart and you were gonna say something mean.” 

“So what you’re saying is that I might be marrying some giant baby if I don’t get married before thirty. Yeah, I’m totally gonna take big risks from now on.” 

“You should be lucky-” 

“Bucky I saw you trip twice in the third grade and your pants fell down-” 

Bucky groaned, “Doll, you’ll be the death of me.” 

You grinned, reaching out your hand to the middle of the table. “I’m only teasing you. Sheesh you baby, I accept the pact.” 

Bucky brings his hand out and shakes your hand, “I know I was the one that said we should do this but I have a feeling I already regret it.” 

“Like the time you regret bleaching your hair-” 

“Ugh, my future-maybe wife is so meaaan!” 

* * *

**_now–_ **

It had been more than twelve hours since you last saw Bucky. Your whole body was buzzing at the events that have transpired since then. You sat on your bed, looking out at the window as you decided what you were going to do for the day. 

You heard your phone buzz on the nightstand, you grabbed it from the table and checked your messages. 

Once you and Bucky returned from your late night food run, the two of you went back to the party and hung out for the rest of the night. When it ended, you exchanged numbers with your old friends. 

Bucky offered to walk you back to your hotel, and the two of you continued to reminisce. 

_“It’s just like old times, huh? Me walking you back home.” He said as the two of you walked the nearly deserted streets.  
_

_You smiled, nodding your head in agreement. “Only, we’re walking towards my hotel and you’re gonna walk back to the bar cause Steve’s driving home.”_

_“Com’on Doll, don’t rain on my parade.” Bucky pouted.  
_

_“Oh no, I’m here less than a day and you’re using your ‘Bucky charms’ on me to get your way, I’m all grown up now Barnes, that won’t work on me!” you say, feeling your cheeks heat up._

_Bucky looked absolutely adorable with his lips pouty, his cheeks flushed from the alcohol and the cold midnight wind.  
_

_“I’m sure I can still work the magic.” He said, wiggling his eyebrows at you.  
_

_You snorted at the action, covering your mouth with your hands to hide your laughter._

_“You’re the guy that I chose to be my back-up husband? Oh great, I’m gonna die from cheesiness.”_

_Bucky laughed with you, his arm draping on your shoulders to pull you close with him._

_“I really did miss you.”  
_

You were pulled out of your thoughts by another text message. You checked to see who it was and it was Wanda asking if you were free for lunch. You smiled and replied that you were. 

The two of you decided on having lunch at the restaurant in the hotel. You quickly got ready, opting for a white tee, your go-to jeans, and black flats. You lounged about in your room, checking your social media pages as well as LinkedIn for any job openings in the area. 

Noon soon came so you got up from your bed and made it downstairs to meet up with your friend. 

Wanda was standing in the front of the restaurant, hugging you the moment she saw you.

The hostess quickly sat the two of you at a table, and giving you both a menu. 

“So what’s with the lunch date Wanda?” you ask, not wanting to waste another second. 

Wanda looks up from her menu and feigns innocence. “What? I can’t catch up with an old friend who I haven’t seen in a long while?” 

You raise your eyebrow at her and she quickly crumbles, “All right, fine, you got me.” 

The waitress comes by your table and places down two cups and a pitcher of water. She takes your orders and mentions they’ll be out soon. 

“So? Spill.” You say as you take a sip of your water. 

“What’s with you and Bucky? The two of you haven’t seen each other in ages and all of a sudden the two of you are bonding like no time has passed. I gotta know!” 

“We just caught up with each other. I mean we’re childhood friends Wanda, it shouldn’t be that weird we can get along this well after so many years.” 

“Did anything else happen?” 

“Nothing…” you say, trailing off which made Wanda suspicious. 

“You really suck at hiding things, you know that right? Especially with me. I can read people well.” 

“Well there’s this bet we made after prom that if we’re both single at thirty, we’d get married.” 

“You two did WHAT?” The two of you looked around and saw a few of the servers were looking at you and Wanda. Luckily you two were the only customers in the restaurant. 

Wanda uttered a quick sorry and reverted her attention back to you. 

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?!” 

“Because you’d react like this!” 

“(Y/N) this is serious. You’ve been in love with Bucky since you were kids.” 

You almost choked on your spit at her words, “Wanda, what the actual fuck?” 

“Don’t deny it. Back in high school it was so obvious you were in love with him.” 

“Oh my god Wanda, you’re ridiculous, I had a crush on him in middle school but that was it! He’s my best friend, I don’t have those feelings for him.” 

Before Wanda could reply, the waitress came back with both of your lunches. 

* * *

“Hey Steve, thanks by the way.” Bucky pats his friend on the shoulder as he passes by him. “Thanks to you too, I guess.” Bucky quickly gives Sam a quick thanks, who was sitting down by Steve’s left. 

Sam lets out a laugh, rolling his eyes at him. “Yeah, yeah, we all know you’re more thankful for Steve bringing along (Y/N).” 

Bucky grabs a tupperware filled with lasagna from two days ago and places it into the microwave without the lid. 

Bucky feels his cheeks heat up from Sam’s remark but decides to ignore it. Steve notices Bucky’s change in demeanor and elbows Sam to look up at their friend. 

Sam stifles a chuckle. 

“I can tell you’re a lot happier too.” Steve says. 

“God you’re cheesy Steve,” Bucky let’s out a chuckle. 

The microwave beeps and Bucky takes out the heated food from the microwave, taking the seat opposite from Steve. 

“You should ask (Y/N) out. It’s about time anyways.” Sam states casually. 

“You’re ridiculous.” Bucky scoffs, taking a bite out of his lunch. 

“Don’t think I don’t remember that weird pact the two of you made. It’s fate! The two of you meeting up again right this moment, don’t you think that’s a little bit coincidental?” Steve says. 

“What pact?” Sam asks Steve, Bucky looks down at his food, ignoring the question. 

“The pact that they’ll marry each other if they’re both single at thirty.” 

Sam lets out a whistle, “Damn, you had it, _bad_. You should ask her out on a date.” 

“The only problem is, we’re gonna look for dates _for_ each other, not actually date one another.” 

Steve looks up at Bucky as if he sprouted two heads, “You two did what?!” 

Bucky sits in silence, his fork poking at his food, he suddenly doesn’t feel that hungry anymore. 

Sam let’s out a groan, “You don’t have to set her up on a good date. Just set her up with some loser that’ll make you look good!” 

“Sam, are you telling me to sabotage her chances of finding someone-”

“Hey, hey, I’m not saying to sabotage the date, just send her with some boring guy-” 

“I said I knew her well, if I pair her up with someone boring then I don’t know her, do I?” 

Sam lets out a huff of frustration, “Set her up with you, from where you sit you’re the loser.” 

“Thanks Sam, real helpful.” Bucky groans as he stands up from his seat. 

Steve glares at Sam who shrugs his shoulders, bringing up his hands, “Hey, man, just trying to help.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy Agents of Shield so you'll be seeing some of the characters from there in this series.

_**then –** _

The last time you checked the time it was a little after 1am. You fully zip up your sleeping bag, pulling the front of the sleeping bag closer to your chin. It wasn’t too cold out, luckily it was closer to summer meaning warmer nights. 

It was your ‘camp-over’ with Bucky that the two of you hold in each others’ backyard every month. Since the two of you were busy throughout the school year, this was the first time you held it in months. 

“Hey Buck?” You say, knowing your best friend was awake because of how much he shuffled in his sleeping bag. 

The two of you were lying on the grassy area of his backyard, covered with tarp so that the moisture of the grass wouldn’t seep through the sleeping bags. 

You had an extra fleece blanket covering you inside the sleeping bag, as well as a mini pillow for you to rest your head and a black beanie to hide your head from the cold. Bucky was also wearing a beanie, only his was blue and red, a gag present given to him by Steve. 

“Yeah?” He replies as he turns his head towards you. 

You were still looking up at the sky, watching the stars twinkle in the early hours of the day. 

“Did you pick out a major yet?” 

“Dunno, Dad told me to take business. I guess I’ll go with that.”

“But you don’t want to do that right?” You ask him simply, your voice quiet. 

“I think I’m fine with it, I don’t know what else I could go for.”

“Don’t you wanna learn how to build stuff? You know so much about cars and motorcycles, you could do something with that.” You say, finally looking back at Bucky. 

His expression unreadable to you as he stares at you in silence, his mind occupied with what you had just said. 

He closes his eyes and turns his head so that he was facing upward. He opens his eyes and looks up at the sky. 

“I wish I could but I don’t wanna disappoint them.” 

“Buck… you should do something that you want to do. You should at least try to let them see it your way. They love you Buck, they’d understand.” 

Bucky turns his head back towards you, a small smile growing on his lips. He brings out his hand from inside his sleeping bag, reaching out, cupping your cheek. 

 _“Sweetheart, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”_  

* * *

  ** _now–_**

“So how are we going to come about this?” Bucky asks you as you sit on his kitchen counter. 

“Well I mean isn’t it obvious? Online dating! What other way did you think we were gonna do this?” 

“Doll, I’m old-fashioned. I tried those dating apps and they didn’t work for me.” 

“Well, it’s proven that if you let a good friend make your profile, you’ll get better results.” 

Bucky scoffs, “Where’d you hear that?” 

You look at him with a blank expression, “The internet.” 

Bucky rolls his eyes at you as you let out a snort, your once serious expression breaking. 

“Com’on Bucky! The ‘old-fashioned’ way isn’t gonna be effective enough! We have to be with the times, online dating is the now.” You say, bringing out your phone and placing it on the counter next to you. 

You bring out your hand, palm-side facing up. Bucky lets out a sigh before grabbing his phone out of his back pant pocket and placing it on your hand. You smile and grab your phone from the counter, placing it on his hand. 

You quickly open up a popular dating app on his and began to complete his profile. 

“Okay, so what’s your tag-line?” He asks. 

“I dunno, put a food pun.” You say, your attention focused on filling in the survey for him. 

“Of course,” He says under his breath. 

The two of you finish each others’ profiles in silence, you looked up once to see that Bucky was staring intently down at your phone, which made you smile. Once the two of you were finished, you both decided not to read what the other had written. 

“We’ll choose the first two dates for each other as well. If those two don’t work then we can choose for ourselves. Is that okay?” 

“Sounds fair.” 

Within seconds, requests on Bucky’s profile poured in, which made him chuckle. 

“Better get to it sweetheart.” He says, throwing a playful wink at your direction. 

You let out a groan, “I shouldn’t have used that photo of you with Steve’s dog.”  
 

* * *

After half an hour of going though many profiles, you narrowed the list to two women, most of the people matched with Bucky were looking for casual flings. 

“So, can I see who you chose?” Bucky asked. 

The two of you were still at his apartment, now sitting down on his couch. Bucky had his elbow propped on the arms of the sofa, his chin resting on his palm. 

“Bucky, these are supposed to be like blind dates. Don’t you trust me?” 

“Yeah, but I’m curious!” 

“You’ll find out on Thursday. Oh, and the second one will be Saturday at noon.” 

Bucky let’s out a childish whine, the kind he did back when you were kids when you never let him get his way. 

“Anyways, did you pick out any guys for me?” You ask, looking up from his phone. 

“There’s one guy, but I couldn’t find others. They were all asking if you’d uh- you know,-” Bucky lets out a cough, “If you’d be down for a-” 

You rolled your eyes at him, “Just spit it out Bucky! We’re not teenagers anymore.” 

“Okay, okay, it’s just weird for me to say it! They’re asking for nudes.” Bucky felt his cheeks heat up, wishing for a hole to emerge from the floor so it can swallow him whole. 

“Huh, figures.” you reply simply, earning a surprised look from Bucky. 

“How does that not phase you?” He asks, thoroughly perplexed at your reaction, or lack thereof. 

You let out a snort, “Bucky, it’s to be expected. There’s a lot of dudes that want only that.” 

Bucky lets out a sigh, shaking his head, “I still think we should do the old-fashioned approach.” 

“Okay, fine Mr. Stubborn-pants, let’s go to the bar. If you meet anyone there then I’ll cancel your other dates. If not, then we do this my way.” 

You stand up from the couch, Bucky’s phone in your hand. 

“Well? What are you waiting for Barnes? We’re going.” 

* * *

The two of you end up going to the same bar where his birthday was held. The two of you take a seat at the counter, waiting for the bartender to take your orders. The place wasn’t crowded although it was very busy, and the music isn’t too loud, which you were thankful for. 

The bartender comes back and you order a hard apple cider and Bucky opted for his go-to favorite brew. 

You take a sip from your glass and you scan the area, looking for any possible potential suitors for you. You notice a few people look towards your direction, you can tell they were eye-ing Bucky. 

“See anyone you like?” Bucky asks, taking a sip of his beer. 

“Yeah, but everyone seems to be looking at you Buck. I doubt I’ll find anyone with you as a wingman.” 

Bucky lets out a hearty laugh, his left hand clutching his chest. You roll your eyes at him before taking a huge chug of your drink. 

“This seems to be favoring you more than me.” 

“Com’on we’ve only been here for a few minutes, just wait a bit.” 

The bartender comes back and places a small glass next to you. 

“A gentleman ordered this for you,” The bartender says, motioning towards a guy to your far right. 

You look towards the man and he raises his glass, while you nod a quiet thanks. 

“Look who got a free drink.” Bucky smiles.

You elbow him and finish your first drink before taking a sip of your second one. 

It was a mint mojito, one of your favorite drinks. You finish the drink in one go, already feeling the buzz. 

It was a good thing that you and Bucky ate before going to the bar or else your tolerance would be way worse. 

Bucky finishes his drink, setting down the empty glass on the table. 

“Hey, I’m gonna go to the restroom.” You tell him, getting off of the stool. 

“I’ll be here! If not then, I’ll text you.”

You make your way to the restroom, pushing open the door and going to the sink. You do your business and make your way to the sink, turning on the faucet, washing your hands. You dry your hands with a paper towel and take one good look at your appearance. 

Your makeup still looked good, though you decided to touch-up on your lipstick. 

Once you were done, you made your way back to the bar and saw that Bucky was nowhere to be seen. You grab your phone from your pocket and saw that he was going to go on the dance floor.

You sat back on your seat and flagged the bartender once more for another drink. 

“My treat.” A voice says from your right and you look to see who it was. 

It was the same guy that bought you your second drink. 

You couldn’t say no to another free drink so you thanked him once more. 

“I’m Lincoln by the way.” He flashes you a smile, making you melt instantly. 

“(Y/N).” 

The two of you fell into a casual conversation, sharing each others likes, dislikes, and any topic the two of you could come up with. You found him to be incredibly charming and easy to talk to. 

You were resting your chin on your palm, your elbow propped onto the table. “So what made you want to come over here?” 

“Just wanted to see if I had any chance with you.” He replied simply. 

Your face broke into a smile, surprised by his answer. 

“I have a small confession to make. We matched on Match’d. That’s why I knew your favorite drink.” 

Before you could catch yourself, you knew your expression faltered slightly. 

“I should have mentioned it way earlier, I’m sorry. I totally understand if you don’t wanna see me again.” He says, getting ready to stand up. 

“Wait,” You say, grabbing him by the wrist. 

“I have a confession as well. I-uh- I didn’t set up that account, my friend, the guy who I came with, did. We’re trying to get each other dates.” 

Lincoln’s brows knit in confusion, “So, the two of you are each others’ wingman?” 

“I guess you can say that, yeah.” 

“And you don’t think I’m a total creeper?” 

“If I did I’d definitely be lying.” 

He lets out a chuckle, one of his hands rubbing the back of his neck. 

“So, uh, do you think I can see you again? Thursday for dinner?” 

“Yeah, I think you got yourself a date.” You reply with a grin. 

Lincoln grabs his phone from his pocket and hands it to you. You type in your name and number, giving it back to him afterwards. 

He quickly messages you and you receive his text, quickly adding his number into your phone. 

“It’s getting late, I should probably look for my friend now.” You say, placing a generous tip on the counter for the bartender. 

Lincoln nods, placing his phone back into his pocket. The two of you stand up from your seats, you begin to scan the area for Bucky. 

“I’ll see you Thursday then.” He says. 

“See you.” you wave to him as he makes his way towards the front doors, looking back at you once more before exiting the building. 

You couldn’t help but let a smile grow on your face, _maybe Bucky was right_. 

“I was so wrong.” You hear Bucky say from behind you. 


	4. Chapter 4

__**now–** _   
_

“You’re being a bit overdramatic Buck,” you tell your friend who was still a pouting mess. 

You and Bucky were back at his shared apartment with Steve and Sam. The two of you were sitting on his couch once more, in your pjs with cups of hot cocoa in your hands. 

Bucky insisted you stay with him for now, since you hadn’t figured out what to do next and you didn’t want your hotel bill to be too expensive. 

Prior to going to the club, Bucky helped you checked out from your hotel room and brought your things to his place. Luckily you only had two luggages with you, and the rest of your things were still on its way. 

“I’m not!” He stated, his voice high, “I’m just saying I think I’d rather go with your plan.” 

When you went to go to the restroom, a woman with blonde hair caught Bucky’s eye, and he went towards her. He found out that her name was Jessica, and that was all he needed to know before the two of them made it to the dance floor. 

She got handsy quick and in an instant, the two of them were in a somewhat secluded area of the club and began making out. 

Of course, Bucky was more than receptive, the two made out until Jessica was pulled away from him and was met with a fist to his face. Jessica was only using him to get her boyfriend jealous. 

“I think this is why you should have a better list of things to ask someone before you go and make-out with them.” You snickered then taking a sip of your hot cocoa. 

“Whatever, I’ll just go with your plan for now.” 

“By the way, where’s Steve and Sam?” 

Bucky shrugs his shoulders, “Sam’s probably on a date and won’t be coming home tonight and I think Steve’s helping out Clint with something so he’ll be home late.” 

You nodded your head thanked him again for letting you stay with him for the night. 

“I swear, by lunch tomorrow I’ll be out of your hair.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes at you, “You’re talking like we haven’t known each other our whole lives. You can stay here for as long as you want. You’re always welcome here.” 

You smiled, nodding your head at his words, “Thanks Buck, but I don’t really want to share a bathroom with three guys for too long so I’m definitely looking for a place of my own.” 

Both of your cups of cocoa were finished and you began to feel the fatigue you were ignoring for the duration of the day, from planning your dates, to going to the club, it was a miracle you hadn’t knocked out yet. 

You stretched your arms out, yelling out a yawn. 

“So where’s the closet? I need to borrow an extra blanket and pillow.” You say, standing up from the couch. 

“Ah, well, you came at the wrong time. None of us have done our laundry…” 

“Oh… so you invite me at a house with no new blankets. Bucky, I’m not you I don’t like the cold!” 

Bucky lets out a groan, “You’re not going to let me live that down are you? Just cause I stuck my head in the freezer, for a dare you made me do nonetheless, for ten minutes once, I get dubbed _loving_ the cold.” Bucky stands up from the couch as well, grabbing you by the wrist. 

“You’re gonna sleep in my room,” He says casually, pulling you along with him towards his room. 

“Bucky-” 

“What? We’re two adults who grew up with each other, this isn’t weird at all.” 

“Yeah Buck, say that again but make it convincing.” 

You enter his room, which was surprisingly clean, minus the corner where his laundry bin was situated. 

You smiled at how simple and how _Bucky_  his room was, even though you hadn’t seen him in years, it reminded you of his childhood bedroom. 

The walls were off-white, a poster of his favorite baseball team was stuck (poorly) on the wall near headboard of his bed. There was a white dresser with various different stickers scattered all over it, an acoustic guitar perched on its side, a rack of shoes next to the closet, and a desk on the opposite side with two picture frames on top. 

His bed was made, you rolled your eyes at the sight, even till then he still made sure to keep his bed looking nice and proper. His bedsheets were royal blue with white stripes, and a matching set of white pillowcases. On top was a familiar stuffed animal you almost forgotten of its existence. 

“It’s Beavie!” you gasped, almost sprinting towards the bed. You crawled onto the bed, grabbing the stuffed animal and holding it to your chest tightly. 

Bucky smiles at the sight of you and his childhood stuffed animal, a warmth spreading across his chest. 

“I can’t believe you still have him!” You say, looking down at the worn-out stuffed beaver. You sat on Bucky’s bed, cross-legged, with the stuffed animal on your lap. 

“Of course I’d still have him, he was your first gift to me. You blew half of your allowance for the month at that one game so you could win him.” 

You bite down on your lip, “I can’t believe you still remember that.” 

Bucky makes his way to the bed, sitting down next to you. 

“Doll, how could I forget?” His left arm draping across your shoulder, “That’s one of my favorite memories with you.” 

You get lost in his eyes, remembering how strikingly crisp and clear they were like the ocean. 

It was so weird, how different he looked since you last saw him yet he was still the same Bucky Barnes in your eyes; the Bucky Barnes who helped you with your lemonade stand one summer, the Bucky Barnes who told you Santa wasn’t real (in which you punched him in the arm and cried all the way home), the Bucky Barnes who you shared your first kiss with (but you won’t ever let him know that). 

You snap out of your thoughts, realising how close both of your faces have gotten and you break away from his hold. 

Bucky clears his throat, running a hand through his hair, “We should get some rest,” 

* * *

You wake up feeling hot, kicking the covers to get some kind of relief. You turn your body, realising that it wasn’t the covers to blame why you felt like you were in a sauna. 

You were pressed against Bucky’s sleeping form, his right arm wrapped around your waist. You try to move out of his hold, only to have him tighten his hold on you. 

You bring one of your arms up, poking him on the chest. 

“Bucky,” you say, trying to wake him up. 

“Mmh,” He begins to stir in his sleep. 

“Bucky,” You say louder, now holding onto one of his shoulders and shaking him lightly. 

“Two more minutes,” He mumbles, turning towards you, now both of his arms were wrapped around you. 

You ignore how fast your heart was beating and try to wake him up. 

“Buck,” You began poking his chest once more, you only noticed now that he was shirtless. 

“Oh Jesus,” You say under your breath, your eyes scanning his bare chest. 

You look up and saw that he was still sleeping, both of his eyelids where shut and his mouth was slightly open, you could hear him snoring. 

You let out a huff, admitting defeat. Trying to wake up your best friend did tire you up so you decided on falling back asleep. 

At least if Bucky were to wake up, you’d get out of his hold quicker than you actually trying to wake him up (not that being in his arms was bad). 

* * *

An hour had passed since you woke up and this time it was Bucky waking up to see that you were cradled in his arms. He smiled at the sight of your head laying on his arm with Beavie next to your face as you slept. 

Steve and Sam’s voices popped up in his head, reminding him of how conflicted he felt with the whole arrangement of the two of you dating when in reality, he wants to date you. 

Then he remembers the night before and saw how you interacted with the guy you met at the bar and he then decides to give your arrangement another try but for now, Bucky lets his mind wander to the idea of the two of you dating as you slept. 


	5. Chapter 5

**_then –_**

“Hey, don’t cry.” Bucky says, his hands cupping your face. 

The two of you were at the airport, your right hand tightly holding onto your carry-on while the other held on your plane ticket. 

It was a few days before moving-in day started and you were flying in early so you could get a feel of the area. Your parents were going to fly in at a later time, so it was Bucky that brought you to the airport. 

“I’m not gonna cry,” You say, your voice faltering. 

Bucky lets out a chuckle, shaking his head. 

“Sweetheart, you never could tell a convincing lie.” 

You bite down on your bottom lip, forcing the tears to not fall down your face. It only hit you then that you weren’t going to see your best friend for a while. 

You suddenly let go of your carry-on and pull Bucky into a tight hug, your face burying into his chest. Bucky wraps his arms around you, his chin resting on the top of your head; you were crying by then. 

For as long as you could remember, Bucky Barnes was always in your life and now that you’ll be going out of state for college, he wouldn’t be right next to you. 

“Shh, there, there. I’ll come by and visit you as much as I can.” He says, his right hand patting your back gently. 

“You promise?” You say, pulling away from his chest and looking up at him, not caring that your eyes were puffy from crying and snot was running down your face. 

Bucky lets out a smile, his heart melting at how adorable you looked. 

_“I promise.”_

**_now –_**

A week had past since you met Lincoln at the bar. The two of you went on a few more dates, each time you felt more and more comfortable with him. He was witty; he had the same humor as you so he could make you laugh without trying hard.

“I still think you and Bucky should stop with the stalling and hook up already. I’ve been friends with the two of you since elementary and it’s painfully obvious the two of you have feelings for each other.” 

You roll your eyes at Wanda’s remark, “Wanda, I really like Lincoln, he’s super sweet.” 

“But is there a spark between the two of you? Other than liking his presence and getting along with the guy, do you feel butterflies when you see him or when he holds your hand?” 

You sit in your seat, letting Wanda’s words stew in your mind. 

The first date you felt yourself giddy when you saw him but other than that, you  realized only now that it felt like you were hanging out with a friend more than actual dating. 

“Oh shit,” You mutter under your breath at the revelation. 

You bury your face in your hands, groaning.

“I think you’re right.” 

“Aren’t I always?” Wanda smiles triumphantly, wiggling her eyebrows at you. 

“Please don’t do that, I can see that Sam’s had an influence on you.” 

You drum your fingers on the counter as Wanda prepares lunch for the both of you. 

The two of you were hanging out in Wanda’s apartment, still waiting for the call from the moving company you hired to transport your belongings from San Fransisco to Brooklyn. 

There was a mix-up with your things, they accidentally shipped it to a city in Texas, so it took an additional five days before your belongings were in route to you. 

Less than a week of being back in your hometown, you found an apartment so you didn’t stay too long with Bucky. 

It was interesting, to say the least, living with three guys who had very different personalities. 

Even though you grew up with the three of them, living with Bucky, Sam, and Steve was a completely different story. 

Steve would usually be the one in the middle acting as a referee when Bucky and Sam bickered like school children. From forgetting to put the toothpaste cap back on to drinking from the milk carton, it would have been an amazing feat if they didn’t argue. 

Of course, the ‘arguments’ were short-winded and the two would be goofing off and laughing at some joke after a while. 

Even though you stayed a short while, you’d miss the dynamic of the three guys, so you made a mental note to hang out with them more. 

“Hey, your phone’s ringing.” Wanda tells you, snapping out of your thoughts, you bring your attention to your phone; it was the moving company. 

You quickly answer it and they tell you that they’ll be at your apartment building in an hour. 

Since you did move back in a haste, your original plan was to pick up your belongings at their Brooklyn location and then store your belongings to a storage facility. Since you found a place to stay and they took longer to ship your things, you told them to ship your items to where you were going to stay instead, which made the whole process a lot faster. 

You hang up the phone call, and tell Wanda the news. 

“Is anyone else helping out? I can ask Pietro if he’s free-” 

“No worries, I’ll text Bucky and Sam if they can help. I know Steve has work but I’m sure those two can come by.” 

Wanda fails to let a smile grow on your face and you throw her a nasty look. 

“Stop that, I know what you’re thinking.” You say, grabbing the sandwich she made for you from your plate. 

“What? I didn’t say a single thing.” She feigns innocence as she takes a bite out of her sandwich. 

* * *

You wait in front of your building with Wanda, Bucky, and Sam for the moving company to drop off your belongings. 

“You sure you only need the two of us Doll?” Bucky asks, both his hands stuffed in his pockets. 

“Yeah, I don’t have too many things, just the essentials; bed, bed frame, a mini couch, boxes of clothes and kitchen stuff. Oh! and shelves but I took them apart so it’ll be easier to take in.” 

“Plus she only needs the two of us anyways,” Sam interjects, nudging Bucky with his elbow, grinning. 

Bucky rolls his eyes at Sam but agrees. 

“You two are an embarrassment.” Wanda says, shaking her head at the two. “If Nat were free, she’d be here and she would get this done in record time.” 

The truck pulls in front of your building, two men come out of the truck and began unloading your things. 

Once they placed all of your belongings down on the sidewalk, you signed a form and thank the two men. 

Bucky and Sam began bringing in your things to your apartment, which was luckily on the second floor of the building. They brought your belongings up in record time, only because they silently decided to make it a competition to who can bring your items up the fastest. 

You didn’t mind, it was funny seeing the two run up and down the stairs. 

You and Wanda sat down on the couch (Bucky and Sam brought it up first) as the two ran around, not realising that they were the only ones bringing things into the apartment. 

Once all of your things were in your apartment, Bucky and Sam both collapse onto the floor, both breathing loudly from the amount of energy they both exerted in a short period of time. 

“I won!” They both exclaimed at the same time. 

The two threw glares at each other, both of them still breathing loudly. 

You and Wanda snickered at the two men and stood up from your seats. 

“Can you to stop fooling around? We still need your help carrying (Y/N)’s bed and other belongings into the bedroom.” Wanda says, grabbing a box from the floor, walking towards the bedroom. 

You follow her, grabbing your nightstand. 

Both Bucky and Sam groan in unison, as the two of you leave them alone in the living room. 

“I hate you,” Sam says breathlessly. 

* * *

It was almost dinnertime when you all finished moving things around, you were able to place most of your kitchenware into their rightful places and some of your furniture were reassembled. 

You decided to call it a day, not wanting to keep your friends for too long. 

Sam and Wanda were the first to leave, though you knew it was more of Wanda’s doing so that you and Bucky would be alone. 

“Bucky, seriously, you should go, I can finish on my own.” 

Both your hands were on your hips, standing in front of Bucky who was finishing reassembling your bookshelf. 

“Doll, it’s fine, I’m almost done anyways.” 

You roll your eyes at how stubborn Bucky was being and nodded your head. 

“Fine, but this is the last thing you do then you go home.” 

“Aw, Sweetheart, you tryin’ to get rid of me? Thought you liked me.” Bucky looked up at you, pouting. 

You roll your eyes at him, ignoring how you felt your face heated up from his words. _Bucky will be the death of you._

You felt your phone vibrate in your pocket, you took it out and saw that Lincoln sent you a text. He asked if you ate dinner yet. You replied no, but you were going to pick something up from a nearby restaurant. 

He offered to grab some food from the Italian restaurant he was working part-time for, which you accepted. 

You hadn’t seen him all day yesterday and decided to see if your feelings for him were truly only platonic. 

Once Bucky finished the bookshelf, he promised he’d visit you the next day so he could help you out with fixing up your place. 

Twenty minutes had passed and you heard a knock on your door. 

You jump up from your couch and make your way to the front door. You look through the peep-hole and saw it was Lincoln with a plastic bag of take-out. 

You open the door and he greets you with a small hug and a kiss on the cheek. He shuts the door behind him and the two of you make your way to the counter of your kitchen. 

“Sorry, I didn’t have the chance to rebuild my tables yet.” You say, grabbing a few plates from the cupboard, along with some forks and spoons. 

“Don’t worry about it, moving day is hectic.” He says, opening the containers filled with food.

He brought with him an order of roasted cauliflower and cheese ravioli, an order of eggplant parmesan, and some garlic bread. 

“Looks amazing!” You say, getting a bit of everything onto your plate. 

“Phil was in today so you’re in for a treat.” 

“He’s the one who makes awesome garlic bread right?” You ask, taking a whole ravioli into your mouth. 

“Yeah, that’s the guy.” He nods, taking a bite out of a piece of garlic bread.

The two of you engage in small talk whilst eating, you began noticing the lack of butterflies in your stomach.

You wondered why you didn’t have any, considering Lincoln is incredibly attractive and has an amazing personality, you knew that a ton of women would want to be in your place. 

 “Hey, you got something on your face.” Lincoln says, interrupting you from your thoughts. 

You quickly grab a napkin and began to wipe your face. Lincoln lets out a laugh and shakes his head, grabbing a napkin from the counter. 

“You missed it, here.” He leans forward, wiping the corner of your lip from the marinara sauce. 

You utter a quick thanks, feeling your face heat up from the close proximity Lincoln’s face was towards you. He places the napkin down on the counter, his right hand on the counter as he leaned closer to you. 

Lincoln leans in for a kiss, you close your eyes, waiting for his lips to press onto yours. You felt his lips almost touch yours when a knock on your door interrupts you both.

You flinch backwards and mumble a quick sorry to Lincoln. You make your way to the front door, looking at your peep-hole and you see Bucky. 

You felt your heartbeat quicken at the sight of your best friend but your ignore it, knowing it was wrong to feel that way towards Bucky when that feeling should be directed towards someone else. 

You open the door and Bucky’s smile grows at the sight of you. He was mentally slapping himself at the fact it took him this long to grab food for you. 

“Hey, I-” Bucky’s smile falters at the sight of Lincoln who was making his way towards the front door. 

Lincoln places his arm on your shoulders, saying a quick hi to Bucky. 

“Hey Buck, whatcha doin’ here?” You ask. 

Bucky clears his throat and tries to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach at the sight of the two of you. 

“I thought you might have been too busy with the move so I brought you take-out. I didn’t think to text.” He says, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. 

“Oh, well you’re welcome to join-” Lincoln says. 

“-No, it’s fine, I should leave the two of you alone.” Bucky interrupts him, turning on his heel. 

Before you could say a proper goodbye, Bucky was already on his way to the elevator, leaving the two of you alone. 

You close your front door and you and Lincoln walk back to the kitchen, neither of you wanting to break the silence. You quickly finish the food on your plate, wanting that sinking feeling in your stomach to go away. 

“Hey, it’s getting late, I think I should head back home.” Lincoln says. 

You nod your head, grabbing your plate, as well as his to place it down on the sink. Lincoln begins to close the containers of half finished food, crumpling the paper bag that had the garlic bread inside, tossing it into the trash can nearby. 

You walk Lincoln to the front of your door, you turn the doorknob, opening it. 

“Thanks for the dinner,” You say, a small smile on your face. 

Lincoln nods and presses a kiss on your cheek. 

“I’ll text you.” You say as he leaves. 

You close the door once you see him turn left towards the elevator. You lock the door behind you, your back pressed against the door as you sink down on the floor. 

“God this is complicated.” You say before bringing your knees up to your chest, burying your face into your hands. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: none, mainly cursing, alcohol consumption by underaged teens, please drink responsibly!!, make-out scene

**_then –_ **

As much as you loved the feeling of being buzzed from alcohol, you knew that you were going to have a nasty hangover the next morning. 

Still, you shrugged your shoulders at the thought, enjoying the fact that high school was finally over. All the worries about getting into college and tests were gone and you could finally enjoy your youth. 

“Can I join you?” You hear a voice from behind you. 

It was Bucky, holding a red cup in his right hand, his right elbow was propped up on the windowsill, looking at you. 

You were sitting on the floor of the balcony of Wanda’s house, you nodded your head and Bucky went out and inched towards you. 

You could hear the muted sound of the party downstairs; usually when the Maximoffs’ had their parties, the upstairs part of the house were off-limits, but since you were one of Wanda’s closest friends, you had special privileges. 

Bucky hands you the red cup and you take a sip of it, wincing at the taste. 

“What the hell is in this Barnes?” 

Bucky shrugs his shoulders and grabs the cup from your hold, taking a huge swig. 

“Pietro mixed it up, I have no fucken’ clue what’s in it but it’s getting me drunk fast.” 

“From the taste of it, there’s probably more than five different alcohols in it. Gross.” You stuck your tongue at him. 

“So whatcha doin’ up here? Thought you wanted to have the full high school party experience?” 

“I did but it got boring. I mean, technically this is pretty high school party cliche because I’m on a balcony with a boy at a party.” 

“You make a valid point.” He says, placing the drink down next to him. 

“I was just thinkin’ about how much our lives are gonna change. I’m gonna go out of state and I don’t even know if I chose the right major.” You grab ahold of his arm and hug his arm tightly, causing him to chuckle at your actions. “I’m gonna miss you Buck.” 

He ruffles your hair, “I’m gonna miss you too Sweetheart. Didn’t think we’d end up like this, you know? I never thought to think a reality without you in it. It’s unreal.” 

You let out a snort, “Bucky I’m not dying, I’m just gonna be a few states away.” 

Bucky rolls his eyes at you, “I mean, I know that, but it’s just not the same. I’m not gonna see you everyday.” 

You nod your head in agreement, his arm still being held by you. You decide to rest your head on his shoulder and the two of you sit in comfortable silence, looking up at the stars. 

Bucky looks down at you and sees a single strand of hair fall onto your face. He tucks it behind your ear, you smile at the gesture. 

His eyes flicker down to your lips, he subconsciously licks his. Bucky knows part of it was the alcohol but he definitely wanted to kiss you. 

He remembers the time the two of you first kissed, in elementary. He was teasing you about how you never kissed anyone before and out of nowhere, you pulled him into a kiss, catching him off-guard. 

_“Seems like I’m not the one who hasn’t kissed anyone before!” You sneered, both of your arms crossed against your chest._

_“That was so not my first kiss!” Bucky lied, his cheeks growing red by the second.  
_

_“Whatever Bucky, that wasn’t my first kiss either!” You stick your tongue at him and leave him alone, running towards a group of kids on the playground structure.  
_

He then remembers the second time, at Clint’s birthday party. It was weird, especially for him. He never saw you other than a close friend, someone that he cherished dearly, like Steve. But his feelings towards you shifted when the two of you shared a kiss, if you could even call it that, and you haven’t left his mind since. 

“(Y/N)?” He says, breaking the silence. 

You look up at him, his eyes locking with yours. “Yeah?” 

“I-I uh, I wanted to ask.” He swallows the lump in his throat. 

“Spit it out Buck,” 

“Do you remember our kiss?” 

You sit up straight, Bucky feeling disappointed from you moving away from him. 

“The one where we were kids or-” 

“-The one we had a month ago, that one.” God, Bucky, definitely wished he didn’t chug half of his drink but it was too late for him to take back his words.

“Ye-yeah, why?” You ask, your body still buzzing from the alcohol. 

“I haven’t kissed anyone since.” Bucky confessed, his eyes afraid to meet yours. 

“I thought you went out with Bobbie last week?” 

“Yeah but we didn’t-” 

“Why are you asking about it all of a sudden? It’s been a month and-” 

Bucky interrupted you by pulling you forward, his left hand holding the back of your neck, his lips against yours. He pulled you closer to him, his right arm around your waist, your arms instantly wrapping around his neck. 

You both blamed the alcohol but it didn’t matter; all that mattered was how _right_  it felt being in Bucky’s arms, all that mattered was how Bucky never felt this way kissing anyone else, it’s like there was something missing and he didn’t know until he tasted you. 

Your head was spinning, your senses on overdrive, your mind trying to wrap around the fact that you were in Bucky’s arms, his lips on yours, and how good he tasted, despite drinking that awful concoction Pietro made, Bucky tasted sweet. 

His hand from your neck broke its hold on you, his fingers trailing down your neck, down to your waist. You felt his touch on your naked skin around the hem of your shirt, as if he was testing the waters. 

You let out a whimper of pleasure, coaxing him to touch you, he complied, his warm hand gripping onto your skin. His thumb rubbing small circles onto your hipbone, you let out a moan, breaking away from the kiss. 

Bucky chuckled, now pressing kisses onto your cheek, trailing down to your neck. You let out another whimper, Bucky hummed on your skin, continuing his actions. Your fingers snaked into his hair, pulling him closer to you. 

Once he’s sucked a few love bites onto your skin, he looks down at you; chest heaving, eye’s half-lidded, lips partly opened as you stared back at him. 

“Feels like we should have done this ages ago.” Bucky mused, which earned him a chuckle from you. 

“You read my mind.” You say, pulling him back into another kiss. 

If only the following morning, you both remembered it. 

**_now–_ **

It was safe to say that you weren’t going to be seeing Lincoln in a while. After that night, the two of you began texting each other less, dates kept being postponed, and you were certain that you had zero feelings for him. 

You felt bad but at the same time you knew it was for the best; if your heart wasn’t in it, it would be unfair for the both of you, especially since Lincoln was a great guy, he should be with someone who liked him back. 

The thing that confused you was Bucky. 

He didn’t come by to help you finish unpacking so you recruited Natasha to help you out. You mentioned to her what had happened the night before, wanting to hear an opinion from an outside source. 

_“Clearly he’s jealous.”  
_

_You let out a snort, flattening the boxes so it would be easier to store._

_“Bucky, jealous? Be serious Nat.”  
_

_“I am! You honestly think Bucky Barnes would go out of his way to bring take out to someone he doesn’t like?”  
_

_“Of course he likes me, I’m his best friend, or was, or I’m his close friend, whatever! The point is-”  
_

_“Bucky likes you that way. The two of you have been fighting it for so many years for god knows why! It’s safe to say the gang-”  
_

_“-Yeah, yeah, all you losers keep telling me Bucky has feelings for me when the actual person, you know, Bucky Barnes, hasn’t made a move on me ever.”_

_“Don’t think I don’t know about the two of you kissing-”  
_

_“Com’on that kiss at Clint’s birthday was a total scam, we kissed during ‘Spin the Bottle’ that doesn’t count.”  
_

_Nat rolls her eyes at you, “Not that one, the one at the end of the year party at the Maximoffs’ place!”_

_You look at your friend incredulously, your eyes wide open._

_“What kiss?”  
_

_“You’re either getting really good at lying or you have no clue what I’m talking about.”_

You thought about Nat’s words for most of the week, unsure how to go about the situation. 

Though it plagued you, you didn’t want the rest of your days become unproductive. You decide to look for jobs and luckily, the high school you once attended needed a temporary music teacher, since their current one, would be going on maternity leave. 

You jumped at the job and began making lesson plans. 

After your first day at work, you decided to call Bucky, who surprisingly picked up, despite him not answering any of your texts. 

“Hey, can we meet up? I need to talk to you.” 

“Yeah, sure, when?” 

“Is right now okay? I’m actually a few blocks away from your place.” You reply, quickening your pace towards Bucky’s apartment. 

“Yeah, sure.” 

* * *

Bucky opens his front door and you swear you felt butterflies in your stomach, though it had been only days, you missed him terribly. A small smile etched on his face as he let you in. 

The two of you make it to his couch, you place down your bag on the foot of the couch as he sits down next to you, one foot tucked under his bottom, his body facing you. 

“Sorry I wasn’t able to help you out the other day.” He says, breaking the silence. 

“Yeah, why did you do that?” 

“I-uh,” He lets out a sigh, running one of his hands through his hair, _I was jealous,_ “There was an emergency at the shop, I had to go there first thing and I forgot to message you.” 

You nod stiffly, “Oh,” 

“And you know me, I suck at modern technology.” _God, just tell her how you feel!_

“It’s okay, Nat helped me out.” You fiddled with your thumbs in your lap, your stomach suddenly feeling queasy. 

“That’s good, again I’m really sorry.” 

You shook your head, mustering up a smile on your face. “No worries, I get it. You were busy.” You cleared your throat, “So, how did the dates go? Anyone with potential?” You ask, changing the subject. 

Bucky shakes his head, “No, none of them really panned out.” _Cause I was too busy thinking about you._

“O-oh,” You say, internally cheering at the news. 

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna take hit pause on the whole dating thing for a bit.” 

“I think I’m gonna take a break too.” 

Bucky gives you a confused look, “But what about Lincoln?”

“Didn’t work out. Didn’t really feel like there were sparks, I guess.” You shrugged your shoulders. 

Bucky nod’s his head, fighting the urge to smile at your words. He was more than happy to find out that things between you and Lincoln didn’t work out.

You cleared your throat, unsure where to look, you felt too nervous to look into Bucky’s eyes, feeling like if you did, something in your eyes would give you away. 

After talking with Natasha and finding out the forgotten kiss you shared with Bucky all those years ago flipped a switch inside of you, something that you tried so hard to ignore because you were afraid of ruining your friendship with Bucky. 

The two of you were adults now and fate gave you both a chance. 

“Can you get me a glass of water Buck?” You asked, raising your head, still not meeting his eyes but you made the mistake of looking at his cherry-red lips. 

“Yeah, sure.” He says, instantly getting up from his seat to fetch you a glass of water.

You muttered a quick thanks and grabbed your phone out of your pocket to distract yourself from taking your thoughts _there_. 

You almost didn’t see the message you got on Facebook, mainly because you muted _that one_  person; you still could get his messages but you didn’t get the notification. 

You let out a gasp, almost dropping your phone onto the floor. 

Bucky hears you and is worried, he leaves the cup of water on the counter and rushes towards you. 

“Is something wrong?” He asks as your eyes were glued to your phones screen. 

“He messaged me.” You say, feeling a lump in your throat. 

“Who messaged you?” 

“My ex.” 

The two of you sat in place, your eyes still staring down at your phone while Bucky looks at you, your face in anguish. You couldn’t bear to click onto the message, you were afraid to read what he had sent. 

What did he want to say? What if he wants you back? You were too scared to find out, especially since you thought you were finally moving on. 

Ever since you saw Bucky, you hadn’t thought about Trip the whole time. And now, hearing back from him, you were scared. 

“Do you want to read it?” Bucky asks, pulling you out of your thoughts. 

“I… I don’t know.” You answer truthfully. 

You finally look up, meeting Bucky’s eyes. 

“What if he wants me back?” You say, your voice cracking. 

“The more important question is, would _you_  go back to him?” Bucky states, suddenly, he was afraid of your answer. 

You let out a sigh, shaking your head no, though you weren’t sure. 

Just when you stopped thinking about him, Antione Triplett decides to waltz back into your life, pushing you into a confused state. 

You bite the bullet and click on the message, not wanting to wait another minute. 

His message to you was short and simple. 

_Can we meet up?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> songs mentioned:   
> All My Life (Kina Grannis Cover)  
> Can’t Help Falling in Love (A Teens)  
> Can’t Help Falling in Love (Elvis)  
> I’m Yours (Jason Mraz)

__**then–** _ _

It was a little after four thirty in the afternoon, you had just come out of your photography class; you were working on your final project for the class, usually the darkroom was filled with kids wanting to ditch their work so you waited till after school to develop your prints. For your project, you were going to do all six of your shots by film, loving the challenge of doing it by hand. 

You told Bucky during lunch break that you’d be late so he didn’t have to wait up, knowing him, he’d be waiting in front of the classroom, sitting down on the floor with his headphones on. 

You waved goodbye to your teacher, Ms. Violet, thanking her for letting you use her classroom after hours, and bidding her a good day. 

You opened the door and saw Bucky drumming his fingers on his knee, his eyes closed, focusing on the music he was listening to. 

You crept up quietly towards him, crouching down to be at his level, bringing your hands in front of you, slowing inching near the headband of the headphones, quickly pulling it upwards and placing it onto your head. 

Bucky quickly turns around, jumping at your actions. 

“You’re listening to this again?” You say, holding onto the housing of the headphones, staring at him innocently as if you didn’t scare the crap out of him moments ago. 

Bucky lets out a dry chuckle, nodding his head, “Why do you sound so surprised? It’s my favorite song.” 

You hum to the melody, quietly singing the lyrics with the song,  _“all my life, I prayed for someone like you,”_ Your eyes meets Bucky and you felt your heart pounding from your chest, getting lost in his eyes, _“and I hope that you feel the same way too,”_ You smile, pulling off the headphones from your head, placing it back onto Bucky’s head. 

“It is a great song.” You say, ignoring how hot your face suddenly feels under Bucky’s gaze. 

“You should have sung it at the talent show.” Bucky tells you softly, he pulls down his headphones, letting it hang on his neck. He presses pause on his cd player, pushing himself to stand up. 

You follow his actions, standing up. You shake your head at his words, “No way, I’m too scared to ever do that.” 

Bucky’s arm drapes across your shoulders, he pulls you close to him, “But you gotta share that amazing voice to the world. I feel kinda selfish you only let me hear you.” 

You roll your eyes at him, “As if, you’re happy you’re the only one who’s heard me sing. Pretty sure you’d cause a scene if I sang to anyone else.” 

Bucky smiles, nodding his head, “You’re right, I’m greedy, that’s why I don’t let Wanda call you her best friend too. I’m your only one.” 

**_now–_ **

You drummed your fingers onto the table, waiting for Trip to arrive. You checked the time on your phone and it was only a few minutes till noon. 

To say you were nervous was an understatement. You hadn’t seen Trip since you heard the news that him and Daisy were getting married. You wanted to be there for them, especially Daisy, since the two of you grew so close, but you still had feelings for Trip and you knew you had to leave. 

You heard your name being said and you saw Trip smiling brightly at you. You wave at him, standing up from your seat. 

He walks towards you and gives you a hug, kissing you on the cheek. 

You were caught off-guard by the action but brushed it off as the two of you took your seats. 

“Hey,” He says, breaking into another smile. 

“Hey,” you say back, smiling at him. 

There were so many questions running through your head, _why did he call you?_ Especially now since their wedding was only a few days away. Did Daisy know that he was here? Especially since Brooklyn is a long way from San Fransisco, so many thoughts raced through your head. 

“I’m really sorry for the cryptic message.” 

You shake your head, “No, it’s fine. It’s really good to see you.” You say. 

From the corner of your eye, you see a figure walking towards your way, you look up to see that it was Daisy. 

“I cannot believe the line for valet, it’s ridiculous!” She says, walking towards you, pulling you into a hug. 

You were frozen in place, unsure how to react.

Daisy lets go of you, a huge smile across her face. You try to return the smile back, hoping that you didn’t look too surprised to see her. 

“It’s really good to see you!” She says as she sits next to Trip, their fingers intertwining. 

You nod your head, relaying the same message back. 

You bite down on your lip, feeling ridiculous as you witness the two so deeply in love. _Why’d you even think that? Trip would never leave her, he wasn’t the kind of guy that would do that!_

“So you’re probably wondering why I messaged you.” Trip says, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

You nod your head as you drum your fingers onto the table, “Yeah, I was really surprised you messaged me.” 

“Well, we weren’t sure if you’d say yes so I told him to send you a super cryptic message,” Daisy interjects. 

“We wanted to ask if you could sing at our wedding!” They both said in unison, their smiles too big for their faces. 

You stared at them, shocked beyond belief, you let out a exasperated, “what?” 

“It’s just, you have such an amazing voice and we’d love it if you sang our song. Or any song you see fit.” Trip says. 

“But isn’t the wedding in a few days? I-I don’t think I’ll be able to fly back to San Fransisco for the wedding, I just got a job-” 

“Oh! Yeah, I noticed you weren’t on Facebook but we changed the venue a month ago, it’ll be in New York! Since we both grew up there, we decided it would be better if we did it there.” Daisy explained. 

You stare at the two, so many different kinds of emotions swirling through your body, you didn’t know how to feel or react so you just nodded a smile growing on your face. 

“Yeah, sure, why not.” 

* * *

You knock on Bucky’s front door, quickly tapping your foot on the floor. You were chewing on your lip, the only word that you were repeating in your mind was ‘fuck’ as you waited for him to open the door.

You were greeted by Steve who was surprised to see you.

“Hey-” 

You barge in, muttering a quick hello at him, making a beeline towards Bucky’s room. You saw the door ajar, Bucky was sitting on the foot of his bed, tuning his guitar. 

Bucky looks up at you, surprised to see you even here. 

“They asked me to sing at their wedding!” You let out, both arms flailing upward. 

“What?” Bucky asks, placing down his guitar onto the floor, the backside propped against the bed. 

“Trip and Daisy asked me to sing at their wedding! And I said yes!” You say, sitting down next to your best friend. You lay your head on his shoulder, perplexed at the thing that just happened moments ago. 

You let out a groan as you cover your face, wishing you were the type of person that thought before reacting. 

“Doll, it’s not that bad.” 

You lift your head from Bucky’s shoulder, glaring at him. 

“Okay, I’m sugarcoating it. It’s kinda bad.” 

“Thanks Barnes,” you roll your eyes at him, “It’s this weekend and I have no clue what to sing! Or wear!” you let out another frustrated groan, launching yourself onto Bucky’s bed. 

You lie face flat onto his bed, wanting to melt into the mattress and disappear. 

Bucky pokes your back, urging you to move. 

“I’ll be your plus one so you don’t have to go alone.” He offers. 

You lift your head up, turning only your face towards him, “That’s a given you have to be there. I can’t go with anyone else.” 

Bucky ignores the tugging feeling he felt in his heart from your words and simply nods. 

“Of course.” 

“And you gotta help me pick out a song, cause all the ones they’ve picked are super corny and overused.” 

“ _I’m Yours_ by Jason Mraz?” Bucky guesses and you nod your head yes, earning an eye roll from him. 

“Better than Elvis’ version of _Can’t Help Falling in Love_.” Bucky says chuckling

“Hey, the ATeens version was way better!” You counter, propping yourself up with your elbows. 

Bucky snorts at your reply, “You and your cheesy early 2000s songs, whatever you say Doll.” 

* * *

It was getting late and it was time for you to go back home, Bucky walked you to his front door, offering to walk you home.

“Buck, its fine, I can manage.”

“You sure? I’m free for the rest of the night, it’s no big deal.”

You shook your head, smiling at his offer.

“I think I need to be alone for a bit, but I’ll text you when I get home.”

Bucky pulled you into a hug, his scent filling your senses as you wrap your arms around his waist.

It felt as if the two of you were alone for that moment, everything about him helped you calm down and momentarily forget about your problems.

You let go first, waving at him as you exited the apartment, Bucky watches you walk down the hallway and finally closes the door once he heard the elevator ding, signaling that you were going down.

“Sam’s right, you got it bad, man.” Steve says from behind Bucky.

Bucky runs his fingers through his hair, letting out a sigh.

“You have no idea.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song mentioned:   
> All My Life - K-Ci & JoJo

_**now–** _

The rest of the week flew by and before you know it, the day of the wedding arrived. 

Bucky offered to drive the both of you to the wedding. The wedding would be at a hotel in New York but outside of the city. 

You and Bucky decided on staying for one night at the hotel where the wedding would be held, since there was an open bar, the two of you felt that it would be more responsible to stay overnight instead of leaving afterwards. 

The two of you entered the hotel room, each of you holding onto your bags. The two of you stood in front of the bed, looking back at each other. 

“So… they made a mistake,” Bucky let out, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. 

You nodded your head, placing down your bags onto the foot of the bed. 

“It’s okay, we can share?” 

Bucky swallowed thickly, nodding his head, “Yeah, sure, of course.” He says, trying not to sound nervous. 

You grabbed your make-up pouch from one of your bags, as well as the garment bag with your dress and made your way to the bathroom. 

Wanda and Natasha helped you choose out a dress for the occasion, it was an off-white, cream-colored strapless cocktail dress that stopped a little over mid-thigh, and had a sweetheart neckline. ([x](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplydresses.com%2Fshop%2Fviewitem-PD1396774&t=ZGZiMTQyMmE2MjMxZWQzM2RhOTg0ZTBiMTNlY2E2MGMyOGY4N2Q5NSxrUVpON1k3bQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ApyGsa6_FeHfV7ocxrv5TNw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fdaisbucky.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F158796575486%2Fthe-back-up-part-eight&m=0)) You went with a pair of tan wedges for your shoes. 

You kept your makeup simple, filled in eyebrows, a light wash of peach eyeshadow on your eyelids with a strong cat eyeliner. You finished your lips off with a nude peach color that matched your skin tone perfectly. 

Once you’ve finished getting ready, you walked out of the bathroom, stunned to see Bucky all dressed up. 

The last time you saw him in a tuxedo was prom night and he looked even more handsome. 

Bucky stared back at you in awe, wearing a grey suit that fit his body perfectly, a silver tie that matched his suit, and his hair slicked back, he looked like he just walked out of the 50s with that hairstyle. 

“Wow,” He breathe out, his eyes scanning you from head to toe. 

You felt your cheeks heat up under his gaze, walking towards him. 

“You look amazing,” A goofy grin on his face, Bucky felt like he was in high school all over again; he remembers he exact moment he felt like this, you were entering the gym, and the light hit you perfectly as you entered, making you look like an angel in his eyes. 

You bite down on your lip, grabbing onto his arm, “Thanks Bucky, you look really handsome.” 

You tried to calm down the butterflies in your stomach as the two of you made your way down to where the wedding would be held at. 

The venue was outside, rows of white wooden chairs angled towards the stage. Fairy lights and honeysuckles hung all around. You and Bucky sit in you designated seats, you saw a familiar face sitting next to you. 

“(Y/N)?” Pepper stood up with a huge smile on her face and pulled you into a hug. 

“Pepper, hi! It’s so great to see you.” You hugged your old co-worker back. 

“Oh, this is Bucky, my childhood best friend.” You introduced him, he brought out his hand and greeted Pepper who shook his hand back. 

All three of you sat down on your seats, you smiled at Bucky who in return smiled back at him. 

A man suddenly sat down next to Pepper, interlocking his fingers with hers. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek, “Hey Babe.” The man said. 

Pepper rolled her eyes at him, “Sweetie, you’re supposed to be pacing yourself. Can’t have you getting drunk too fast.” 

The man shook his head, “Nonsense, it takes more to get me drunk.” He childishly remarked, crossing his hands around his chest. 

“This is Tony, my husband, I don’t think you met him yet.” You gave Tony a quick wave and a smile. 

“Honey, this is (Y/N) and Bucky.” Bucky flashed a quick smile and nodded his head at Tony’s direction. 

“You come with me,” Tony suddenly said, standing up and pulling along Bucky with him towards the open bar. 

Bucky looked at you with a worried look as they walked away and you let out a smile. 

“Sorry about that, Tony and I decided it would be our last time acting like ‘newlyweds’ before we start on making a family.” 

You shook your head, “No that’s fine, Bucky can handle himself.” 

Pepper bit down on her lip, her facial expression dropping. You look at her, concerned, you place your hand on her shoulder, “Are you okay?” You asked. 

“C-can you come with me to the bathroom?” 

The two of you make your way towards the bathroom, guiding Pepper along since she suddenly looked like she wouldn’t stand up straight. 

“Thanks, I’ll be fine, you can sit back at our seats.” She muttered before entering the bathroom. 

You wandered towards the other side of the hotel, and saw that Daisy was pacing back and forth to where they were setting up more tables and chairs. 

Nervousness etched onto her face, you could her the clicking of her heels on the floor as she walked. 

“Daisy, you okay?” You asked. 

She turned to you and you saw a flicker of relief when she saw your face, though it disappeared in an instant, once again looking back at you in anguish. 

“D-do you think I’m doing the right thing? I-I mean, I love Trip but… But do you think I’m making the right choice?” She bit down on her lip. 

You took a deep breath, your head muddled with thoughts, “Is he the person you want to be with for the rest of your life?” Daisy nodded. “Don’t think about whether or not you’re making the right or wrong choice cause with the right person, it’s always the right choice.” A single tear fell down on Daisy’s cheek, she smiled and wiped it quickly. 

“You marry the person that makes you smile, you marry the person that will always be there for you no matter what,” You paused, suddenly coming to a realization, “You, you marry your best friend.” 

Daisy nodded, all her worry disappearing from her body. She pulled you into a hug and thanked you immensely. 

“I-I should go, the weddings about to start. (Y/N), thank you so much.” 

Daisy left you in your thoughts, you quickly walked back to where the wedding was going to be held, you saw Pepper standing by your seats. 

“Pepper, I-I have something to tell you.” 

The two of you walk towards a more secluded area of the venue and you told her everything, about the pact, and your sudden realization of your feelings towards Bucky.

“I realized when I was telling her the right reasons to marry Trip I was describing Bucky… I-I think I want to marry him.” You said. 

Peppers eyes grew wide, “What about the pact then?” 

You bury your face in your hands, “Oh god, I don’t even know.” 

Pepper bit down her lip, “There’s something I need to tell you too. I’m pregnant.” 

You pull your friend into a hug, “I’m so happy for you! This is amazing! Did you tell Tony yet?” 

She shook her head no, “I don’t have the heart to tell him, we planned for this day and I-I don’t want to ruin his last night of fun.” 

“He loves you, he’d never think that.” 

“I just-I want to wait. Hold on, are you gonna tell Bucky?” 

You shook your head no, “I-I can’t I don’t know if I should? I mean I don’t know how he feels about me-”

“If you tell him how you feel, I’ll tell Tony.” 

* * *

The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Daisy and Trip looked so happy and so in love that you suddenly wished it was you and Bucky up there as well. You felt your heart beating rapidly as you noticed how close Bucky sat next to you. 

He glanced at you, noticing you were staring at him. 

“Are you okay Doll?” He asked.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” 

He opened up his left hand, silently asking you to hold his hand. You shakily did so, his fingers intertwining with yours. 

This was a common thing for the both of you, Bucky was a very affectionate person and skinship was a big thing, but you realizing your feelings for your best friend made it a lot harder to control your emotions. 

You focused your attention back to the front, watching Daisy and Trip tell each other their wedding vows, you smiled knowing that they were truly for each other. 

The wedding ceremony ended and everyone began to lounge about, waiting for dinner to be served. 

The wedding planner told you that you’ll be performing soon. 

Bucky pressed a quick kiss on your temple and you swear you thought he heard how loud your heart was beating against your chest. “You’ll be great.” You mumble a quick thanks, unable to meet his eyes, you felt so warm from his kiss. 

You make your way towards the stage, one of the wedding assistants handed you a ukulele, you make your way up to the stage, quickly sitting down onto the chair, adjusting the mic to your eye-level. 

“Hi everyone, I’m (Y/N), a friend of Daisy and Trip.” You look back at the two who were beaming with happiness. 

You bite down on your lip, and began to strum. The words were caught in your throat, you cleared your throat, looking back at the two, “Is it okay if I sing a different song instead?” They nodded their heads, both confused. 

“The perfect love song.”  You let out a breath and began to strum the strings. 

_“I will never find another lover sweeter than you, sweeter than you,”_ You looked in the crowd, your eyes locking with Bucky’s.  _“And I will never find another lover more precious than you, more precious than you.”_

_You are close to me you’re like my mother,_  
close to me you’re like my father,   
close to me you’re like my sister, close to me you’re like my brother,  
You are the only one my everything and for you this song I sing” 

Bucky stared at you in awe, his eyes never breaking away from you as you sang. 

_“And all my life I’ve prayed for someone like you_  
And I thank God that I, that I finally found you   
All my life I’ve prayed for someone like you   
And I hope that you feel the same way too   
Yes, I pray that you do love me too”

Thunderous claps greeted you, you said a quick thanks and you placed the ukulele down on the chair, quickly walking down the stage. 

You felt your whole body buzzing, especially how Bucky looked at you throughout your performance. You were more than certain that he felt the same way but still, you needed to hear it from him. 

You walked towards him and he was still staring at you, an indescribable look on his face. 

“H-how was it?” You asked carefully. 

“It was perfect.” He let out, a breathtaking smile painted onto his face. 

His hand suddenly wrapped onto your wrist, he pulled you along with him, away from the crowd of people. 

The two of you stop in the middle of an empty hallway, Bucky let go of your wrist. 

“What are you-” 

Bucky’s hands cupped your face, pulling you into a heated kiss, your arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer to you. 


	9. Chapter 9

_**then–** _

It was your second year of college, well into your fall quarter. It was only a few weeks before finals, you couldn’t wait till you were on break. 

You were ready to go back home, it had been a while since you’ve seen everyone, you missed your parents dearly and of course, your best friend Bucky. 

The two of you kept in contact through texting, phone calls, and video chats but it wasn’t the same. Everyday you’d get a good morning message from him and right when you’d go to bed, he’d text you goodnight. 

Your college roommates always poked fun at how the two of you acted more like a couple than best friends, you rolled your eyes at them. 

You’ve noticed recently that his replies grew sparse, and sometimes he’d forget to text you good morning. 

You thought nothing of it, he did mention that he took a part-time job along with taking a full load of college courses, of course he wouldn’t have too much free time to reply to you. Along with a part-time job and school, he was also going out with a girl he met through one of his general ed classes, Rebekah. 

The feeling of disappointment stung in your heart, you were his best friend but you understood nonetheless. 

It prompted you to focus on your own life away from him, even though you knew Bucky would be apart of your life no matter what, you still needed to live separately from him. 

**_now–_ **

You stared up at the ceiling, the comforter of the bed pulled up to your armpits. You look to your side and you see Bucky snoring peacefully, his face pressed against his pillow as he laid face-side down on the bed, his side of the comforter covering him from the mid-back. 

You had a slight headache from drinking a good amount of alcohol the night prior. 

After Bucky had kissed you, the two of you spent the rest of the night attached to the hip. 

Pepper had noticed both of your changes in demeanor and decided to tell Tony that she was pregnant. Without a doubt, he was filled with joy, pulling his wife into a hug, telling anyone near him that his beautiful wife was pregnant. 

It was like high school again, how you and Bucky acted, all the worries of adulthood vanished and two people who simply liked each other had the time of their lives. 

You felt Bucky move in his sleep, snapping you out of your thoughts. 

His hand reaching out for you, you meet him halfway, intertwining your fingers with his. Bucky smiles, his eyes still closed, he inches closer to you, untangling his hands from yours to wrap his arm around your naked waist, pulling you towards him. 

He positions you under him, making you blush under his gaze. 

“’g morning,” He says, low and gravely, sleep still evident in his voice. 

“Morning,” You replied back, your hands lightly caressing his face. 

Bucky smiles at your touch, he grabs one of your hands, placing a soft kiss onto your palm. 

Bucky begins to lean in for a kiss when you turn your head, wrinkling your nose. 

“Morning breath Buck,” You say and he lets out a laugh. 

“I still wanna kiss you Sweetheart,” He counters, making your heart flutter in your chest. 

You weakly punch him in the chest, he lets out a chuckle. The two of you stared into each others eyes, both of your breaths in sync as time ticked. One of his hands cup your cheek, you melt into his touch, closing your eyes. 

“Can I kiss you?” He asks softly, you nod. 

He leans down, his lips pressing onto yours. _You could do this all day_  you thought, no wonder why so many girls were after him in high school, Bucky Barnes was an amazing kisser. 

You couldn’t believe that you forgot the two of you sharing a kiss all those years ago. 

Your fingers snake into his hair, his body flush against yours, one hand on your waist, the other holding himself up so he wouldn’t be crushing you. 

You break away from the kiss first, your forehead leaning on his as you take short breaths to regulate your breathing. 

“Morning breath isn’t a problem, Sweetheart,” He says, earning a breathy laugh from you. 

“You’re my problem Barnes, I can’t get enough of you.” 

He smirks, pressing a faint kiss onto your lips, “Doesn’t sound like a problem to me,” He let’s out a chuckle, “But I’ll be more than happy to help you out.” 

* * *

After almost missing the check-out time, you and Bucky were finally leaving the hotel, luggage in hand. 

“This isn’t weird right?” Bucky asks as the two of you make your way to his car. 

“We practically skipped a bunch of steps and ended up _you know_  and I don’t know what we should do now.” 

“You like me, right?” You asked him, he nods his head, “If I didn’t like you I’m sure you’d know Babe.” 

You rolled your eyes at him, “I’m saying you like me and I like you, we don’t have to put any labels on this, we can take our time to figure it out.” 

Bucky nods in agreement with your words. 

“We should have our first date then.” 

The two of you began unloading your things into his car, a comfortable silence falling at the two of you as you did so. Once everything was in its place, you entered the passengers seat and Bucky entered the drivers seat. 

“When did you have in mind?” You asked him, continuing the conversation. 

Bucky started the engine and grinned, “How about right now?” 

* * *

The two of you walked an easy hiking trail a few minutes away from the hotel, one hand holding Bucky’s hand, the other, a complimentary cup of coffee you got as from the hotel. 

“Since you claim we know ‘everything’ about each other, we should tell each other one thing you know for sure the other doesn’t.” 

The two of you stop near the first clearing of the trail. Bucky leans against a wooden fence, both his arms propped on top of it, his stance relaxed. 

“So you know how I didn’t go to parties much during high school right? Well I decided to change that, especially the last two years of college.” 

Bucky looked at you curiously, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. 

“Really?” 

You smiled, nodding your head. “Most of my friends wouldn’t believe that I was such a wallflower back then. I almost failed one of my classes, but I mean, I managed to pull through with a C+.” You let out a chuckle. “I blame T’Challa for that.” 

Bucky pushed himself off of the fence, standing up straight. “T’Challa? You mean T’Challa my rival back in high school?” 

You felt the smile on your face waver as you recalled that fact. T’Challa was Bucky’s ‘sworn’ enemy because they were rivals in football; T’Challa being the football captain of your rivals’ school team was the sole reason why your school always lost to them. 

“Don’t tell me you guys dated.” 

You bit down on your lip, looking down on the ground, kicking the small rocks near your feet. 

“Oh my god,” He groans, covering his face with his hand. 

You roll your eyes, “Buck, it wasn’t a serious thing, we only hooked up-” 

“You guys hooked up?! I didn’t take you for that kind of gir-” 

You glared at Bucky, “Don’t you finish that sentence James.” 

Bucky stopped at his tracks, closing his mouth instantly, especially since you used his real name against him. You only called him ‘James’ when he seriously fucked up. 

“And what’s wrong with being ‘that kind of girl’? You pretty much dated half of the school Bucky, I don’t see you getting judged for that.” You crossed your arms in front of you chest. 

Bucky’s gaze softens, he steps forward, his hand reaching for your arm. 

“Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like-I fucked up okay? You know me, I didn’t mean to criticize you like that. I just- T’Challa? Really?” 

“He’s a lot nicer than you think, plus he admitted to me that kinda admired you back in the day.” 

Bucky lets out a sigh, “I’m really sorry, okay? Can we press reset on this?” 

You shrug your shoulders, “I guess, yeah.” 

The two of you continue down on the path, stopping when you see a bench. You both sit down, Bucky positioning his body towards you while you sat upright, facing forward. He notices your rigid demeanor but brushes it off, he tries to change the tense atmosphere. 

* * *

You hear a knock from your front door, placing down the book in your hand onto the shelf. 

You look into the peephole, seeing Bucky standing outside your door. You let out a sigh, opening your door for him. 

You mumble a quiet hello, your hands dangling at your sides. You couldn’t hide the disappointment written on your face from how he acted, as well as how you acted towards him. 

“I need my best friend right now, can we talk?” He asks. 

You nod, stepping out of the way to let him inside your house. You close the door behind him and the two of you make your way towards the couch. 

You sit down with cross-legged, your feet tucked under your bottom. Bucky sits with one foot tucked under him, his body towards you. 

“I hated how we acted towards each other today.” He brings his hand up to your face, his thumb caressing your cheek. 

“I didn’t like how foreign we felt towards one another, it was like I didn’t know who you were.” You say quietly. 

“I guess… we were trying too hard? We’ve known each other for a long time, the rules of dating don’t exactly apply to us.” 

“The movies lied to us.” You say, earning a chuckle from him. 

“But I want this to work, I want us to work.”

* * *

It was only two weeks before your birthday and things were going well in your life. 

The school offered you a more permanent position, you’d be teaching the summer program and as well as the first semester of the next year. 

You and Bucky grew even closer, he’d often stay at your apartment for days until he’d have to go to work. 

The auto shop Bucky, Steve, and Sam owned was doing well, business was flowing and you could not be more proud of the three. Majority of the clients were of the older generation, most of them being from your old neighborhood, they wanted to support a local business from people they saw grow in front of their own eyes. 

Despite Bucky coming home covered in grease and grime, you gave him endless amount of hugs and kisses, you couldn’t believe how effortless it was to be around him and to transition from best friends to lovers. 

“My moms flying in for the weekend, she won’t be able to come on my exact birthday so we’re going to celebrate it now. You’re free right?” You asked as you cut up the onions. 

It was a typical Wednesday, you and Bucky were making a dish you had seen on the cooking channel the night previously. 

Bucky’s arms wrapped around your waist, his chin resting on the top of your head, “Mhm, I wouldn’t miss it Babe.” 

You smile and continue to prepare the ingredients for the dish, the two of you sharing what had happened during your day at work. 

“Prom’s coming up so everyone’s doing these ridiculous promposals.” You say, finally putting the dish into the oven, setting up the timer for thirty minutes. 

You lean against the counter, Bucky steps forward, suddenly picking you up and placing you down on top of the counter. You trap him between your legs, you circle your legs around his waist, pulling him closer towards you. 

He smiles at your actions and the two of you lean forward for a kiss. 

“God, I can’t believe its been over a decade since our prom.” 

“Yeah, you’re getting old Barnes.” You smile cheekily as his hands tickle your sides. 

“Which reminds me, you never told me who you wanted to ask for prom.” He asked. 

You clear your throat, “Uh.. well…” 

“Tell me!” 

You bite down on your lip, letting out a sigh, “I wanted you to ask me…” You confess. 

Bucky stares at you wide-eyed, his mouth agape. 

You feel your cheeks heat up, you lightly punch his shoulder, “Hey, don’t make fun of me!” 

He lets out a laugh, shaking his head. “I’m not making fun of you.” 

You pout, “Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“Cause, _I wanted to ask you_.” 

You look at him in disbelief, thinking you heard him wrong. “What?” 

“I… I wanted to ask you out to prom but I chickened out. I-I didn’t know why I did but I felt like you’d reject me and I was too scared to ever get that kind of response from you.” 

Your arms wrap around his neck, pulling him towards you. 

“I think we were both not getting the message we had feelings for each other back in the day.” You let out a laugh. 

“Don’t get why we didn’t realize that sooner, I’m kinda head-over-heels for ‘ya Sweetheart.” 

You roll your eyes at his words, “Cheesy.” 

“You act like you hate it when you actually adore me.” 

* * *

You hung out with Wanda and Natasha for the night, forcing Bucky to hang out with Steve and Sam, since the only time he’d see them was at work or the rare chance he was at their apartment. 

Both Wanda and Nat noticed both you and Bucky’s changes within the last two months, and how they were really happy for the two of you. 

“If only you two realized how perfect you are for each other sooner.” Wanda comments, earning an eye roll from you. 

“So? What’s the plan? Is he moving in or are you guys gonna get married? What’s up with the whole pact thing?” Natasha asked. 

Wanda filled her in on the whole pact between you and Bucky and for days she would not stop talking about how the two of you were so ridiculous. 

“We still haven’t talked about the pact…” You swirled your straw in your glass. 

Wanda and Natasha looked at each other simultaneously, giving each other a look. 

“Well, I mean, are you guys dating? What is this whole relationship?” Wanda asks. 

“We didn’t put a label on whatever this is but we’re exclusive.”

“Oh Honey,” Nat starts, “You two have to talk about this, we’re not telling you to rush or anything but you two have to establish what this is.” 

You let out a sigh, “We’re happy though, I don’t want to change anything, things are going really well. I-I like where we are at.” 

Wanda bites down on her lip, “Don’t you see a future with him? This isn’t like high school where you can date and not have a plan.” 

“Yeah, Wanda’s right, you have to know what Bucky’s expecting in the relationship and also you have to figure out what you want as well.” 

You felt your stomach sink, nodding your head. _They were right but you were still hesitant._

“Okay, okay, I’ll talk to him about this.” 

* * *

It was Friday night, you and Bucky decided to have a stay-in movie night. You were in Bucky’s arms, your back pressed against his chest as the two of you watched some random movie Netflix recommended. 

You noticed Bucky had been quiet most of the night, you chewed on your bottom lip wondering what he was thinking. 

The movie suddenly stops, you realized Bucky pressed pause on the movie. 

He removes himself from you, sitting up straight. 

“What is this? What, what are we?” Bucky’s voice dripping with desperation. His eyes pleading you to answer him. 

It wasn’t supposed to be this complicated, _but how was it supposed to end like?_  The whole premise of the two of you helping each other out before your birthday was to find people you wanted to marry and now you’re stuck with figuring out what to do. 

You mentioned to Pepper you thought you wanted to marry him but now you’re unsure. 

Being with Bucky was effortless; he knew you weren’t perfect, and you knew he wasn’t either. Because you were childhood friends you knew his mannerisms, his likes and dislikes, what he’s allergic of, and vice-versa. 

But him asking you out of the blue what the two of you were stopped you in your tracks and you were left with conflicting emotions. 

“We’re two people who like-” 

“Cut the bullshit!” He snapped, look at him, wide-eyed. 

“Bucky I-” 

“I’m not asking you to marry me right this second, I just-I need you to tell me where this is going, where we’re going, please.” 

“Isn’t it just enough that we’re together right now? Do we have to put a label on this?” You asked, bringing your hand up to caress his cheek. 

You thought of your conversation with Wanda and Nat, they were right but you were scared. You didn’t know what you wanted yet. 

He turns his head, grabbing your wrist with his hand. He lets you go, moving away. 

You feel your eyes brimming with tears, you fought back the urge to cry but it was difficult. 

“Bucky…” 

He stands up from his seat, one hand carding though his chocolate locks as he looked down on the floor. He lets out a deep sigh, looking back at you with his crystal blue eyes. 

“It’s not enough.” 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still a ton of angst in this chapter. i'm (not) sorry.

_**then–** _

You checked your phone for new messages for the third time in five minutes. You knit your brows in frustration, stuffing your phone back into your pocket. 

You hear T’Challa let out a low laugh, earning a glare from you. 

“What’s so funny?” 

T’Challa shakes his head, “Nothing, nothing.” He replies. 

You nudge him with your shoulder, bumping yours with his. 

He rolls his eyes at your childish behavior, admitting defeat pretty quickly. 

“Fine, I just think its ridiculous you keep checking your phone. He hasn’t texted you back in days, I think you should drop it.” 

You send a scarier glare at him, T’Challa visibly gulps, knowing he said the wrong thing. 

“Hey, don’t give me that look, I’m right and you know it; you shouldn’t press pause on your life when Bucky’s living his.” 

You let out a sigh, nodding your head.

Like what T’Challa said, it had been days since Bucky replied to your texts, you even double and triple texted him throughout the week, waiting for a text back. 

You had planned on coming back home for winter break, deciding you’d arrive earlier than you told everyone else except for Bucky, but he hadn’t replied back to your messages so you didn’t even know if you were going to go with your plan. 

Ever since he started dating _whatsherface_  Bucky spent less and less time talking to you which made you sad. Throughout your life, Bucky always put his friends first before his relationships but ever since you left home for college, Bucky’s been nonexistent in your life. 

He even cancelled on visiting you last minute which you brushed off because you understood things happened. But what you didn’t appreciate was that he cancelled because him and his girlfriend went on a boating trip the weekend he was supposed to go visit you. 

“But he’s my best friend,” you let out a frustrated sigh, burying your face in the palms of your hands.

“How am I supposed to deal with not having my best friend be there for me when all my life we had each others backs?” 

T’Challa placed his hand on your shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “I’m sorry, I guess people just drift apart.” 

* * *

Despite T’Challa’s warning, you decided to go back to your hometown a few days earlier than you had told everyone. You decided to go back to your house first to drop off your things, then decided to visit Bucky at his place. 

You found out from Steve that him and Bucky decided to rent an apartment closer to their college, Steve mentioned to you one time that they kept a spare key under their doormat and that if you ever needed a place to stay, you were welcome. 

You didn’t know their schedules so you texted Steve that you were back home, after the three consecutive messages of him sending you nothing but exclamation points, he informed you that Bucky would be home in a few, he usually came home right after his last class for that day. 

You sat down on their couch in the living room, staring down at your phone as the seconds ticked by. You were so nervous, it had been months since you’ve seen Bucky and your conversation with T’Challa kept repeating in your head. 

You heard keys jingle from outside the door, snapping you out of your thoughts. You sit up straight, waiting to see your best friend when an unfamiliar woman with long blonde hair appeared instead of your best friend. 

“Um, who are you?” She said, her hands immediately resting on her hips. 

You stand up from your seat and clear your throat, “Uh… I’m (Y/N) Bucky and Steve’s friend, who are you?” You ask, crossing your arms in front of your chest. 

The woman’s left eyebrow arches, pursing her lips, she lets out a breathy laugh. 

“Oh, it’s you.” 

You felt a chill run down your spine at the way she said that. You feel anger begin to grow inside you but your feet were planted on the spot. 

_Dana._ You finally remember her name. She began to walk towards you, her hips swaying as she made her way to where you stood. She stops right in front of you, her hands now crossed against her chest as well. 

You didn’t even know her yet and somehow you already disliked Bucky’s current girlfriend. 

“What are you doing here? How did you even get in here?” 

“Steve gave me a key, I-”

She scoffed, running her fingers through her hair. 

“You’re pathetic.” 

Your mouth opens wide, surprised by her words, “Excuse me?” 

She takes a step forward, poking you in the chest. 

“You need to leave Bucky alone. It’s gross how obsessed you are with him. I’m his girlfriend and you need to back off.” 

“I’m sorry?” 

“You heard me. Bucky doesn’t want to be your friend anymore, and it’s ridiculous how much you keep trying to text him when clearly, he has me.” 

You could feel the tears begging to stream down your face but you bite down your lip to prevent yourself from doing so; you don’t want to give this person the satisfaction. 

“I don’t know how you managed to get Bucky as a boyfriend because of your horrible personality.” 

Before she could say anything else, you make your way towards the door. As you reach forward to grab the doorknob, the door swings open, revealing Bucky, surprised at the sight of you. 

“(Y/N)? When did you-” He immediately saw your red eyes and how hard you were breathing, you walk past him, shoving him away with your shoulder as you made your way out of the building. 

“Wait!” Bucky says but you were already long gone. 

He turns back to his girlfriend, confused. 

“What happened?” 

Dana looks at him with a smirk, she shrugs her shoulders, “I told her to fuck off. Clearly she has feelings for you and she deserves to know who you belong to.” 

Bucky lets out an exasperated sigh, he rakes his fingers through his hair. 

“You have to go.” 

Dana’s triumphant look immediately crumbles, she looks at him, confused. 

“Babe, what-” 

“You heard me, go. And we’re through if that wasn’t obvious enough. You don’t say that to my best friend.” 

“Bucky-” 

“Don’t make me repeat it for the third time Dana.” 

* * *

You were back at your old bedroom, crying into your pillow, ignoring the calls Bucky kept making for the past two hours. 

He hadn’t noticed that Dana, his now ex-girlfriend had somehow monitored all your messages to him and deleted them before Bucky could see them. 

Bucky thought that you were too busy doing your own thing in college that you stopped having time for him. 

Bucky stopped by your house, endlessly knocking at your front door but with no avail, you didn’t want to see or hear him. 

A few days pass and it was Christmas Eve, you were in your living room, surrounded by your relatives and yet you were completely numb. You sat quietly on the couch next to the Christmas tree, a blank expression on your face. 

You turned off your phone, not wanting to get any messages from Bucky. 

You felt a poke on your shoulder and you saw that one of your cousins was standing in front of you. 

“Why are you sad?” Maddie asked as she held a half-eaten gingerbread man. 

“Crummy grown-up stuff Mads,” You reply, a sad smile on your face. 

“I know what will cheer you up!” She says, running towards the hallway. 

Your eyes follow her and your expression falls as you meet a familiar pair of stunning blue eyes. 

A small smile painted on Bucky’s face as Maddie pulls him with her towards you, she stops in front of you, Bucky holding her free hand. 

“It’s Bucky! He’ll cheer you up!” Maddie says, letting go of Bucky’s hand then running towards a group of your younger cousins. 

“Doll,”

You freeze momentarily at the sound of his voice, you tear your gaze away from him, standing up. 

“I’m going.” You say, making your way towards your backyard. 

Bucky follows you, his hand grabbing your wrist as you open the door to your backyard. 

“Wait,” 

You pull your wrist out of his grasp, glaring at him. “Don’t ever talk to me again James. We’re not friends anymore.” 

**_now–_ **

To say you were miserable was an understatement. Wanda, Pietro, and Nat frequently visited you in your apartment on the following days after you and Bucky split. 

They tried to keep the conversations away from anything remotely correlating with Bucky and you were more than thankful they were doing so. 

As much as Steve and Sam were your friends, you understood the fact that you weren’t going to see them as much, not that they chose sides, they’re closer to Bucky and was also because they reminded you the most of Bucky. 

Besides hanging out with the three, all you did with your time was go to work and go back home afterwards, binging on whatever tv show you hadn’t watched on Netflix. 

You tried to do the online dating a few more times but ultimately you felt like your heart wasn’t in it. 

* * *

“Honey, I know something’s wrong I’m your mother.” 

You and your mom were spending a night in, the two of you cooked your favorite dishes. You were uncharacteristically quiet, you swirled your fork into the entree absentmindedly as your mom continued to talk about what had happened at work the past week. 

You place your fork down and look directly into your mothers eyes. You nod your head and begin to tell her about what had happened with Bucky prior to her arriving. 

A small smile grows on her face, she reaches for your hand, squeezing it affectionately. 

“Oh Honey, it’s clear the two of you care for each other, and I’ve always liked him for you. Why’d you hesitate?” She asked. 

You shrugged your shoulders letting out a sigh. “I’m scared, I’m too much of a coward to admit my true feelings for him and I just-I don’t want to get hurt.” You let out a dry laugh, “But here I am, a few days before my birthday and I’m still hurt.” 

“Go to him, let him know how your feel. Don’t let fear dictate you life or else you’ll always be left with uncertainty.” 

* * *

You checked your watch for the fourth time, pacing back and forth in front of shop steps away from a building. You knew that Bucky would be at the auto shop around this time yet you were still too scared to step into the building. 

_Just go for it!_  You told yourself internally. 

You walk towards the front entrance of the office of the auto shop, you reach out for the handle. You let go immediately, taking a few steps away from the building before bursting into a full sprint. 

You took a turn and stop immediately once you know you were not in view of the auto shop anymore. 

“Fuck,” you curse under your breath as you try to catch your breath. 

* * *

Bucky left the auto shop an hour before closing time, it was Sam’s turn to close up for the night anyways so he left his two roommates. 

Bucky decided to go for a night stroll to clear his mind; throughout the week he was distracted but for some reason, this day he was more distracted than ever. He zoned out during the weekly meeting and he almost forgot to order the shipment of tires they needed for the next month. 

Bucky knew that if he had just gone back from walking out of your apartment that night, things would be a lot different. 

_“It’s not enough.” He hears himself saying, immediately regretting the words he chose.  
_

_“W-what?” Your voice breaks from his words, Bucky wanted to pull you into his arms and say endless apologies but his feet were planted firmly on the floor.  
_

_“Are you saying I’m not enough for you Bucky?” You bite down onto your lip, pushing yourself harder not to cry.  
_

_“I-I didn’t mean it that way, (Y/N), all I want is something definite.”  
_

_“Why isn’t me liking you and caring for you not enough? Why do you need something more?”  
_

_“Because it makes me feel like you don’t want a future with me!” Bucky snaps.  
_

_“Bucky…”  
_

_Bucky shakes his head, quickly grabbing his coat from the arm of the couch, “I-I gotta go-”_

Bucky stops at his tracks, realizing that he absentmindedly walked to your place. He looks up and down at the building, knowing fully well you were inside. 

He takes a step forward towards the front door of the apartment complex, telling himself to take the plunge and talk to you once again. 

Just when he’s about to grab the front door, he stops short. 

Bucky puts both of his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and turns around, letting out a deep sigh as he walked away from your house. 


	11. Chapter 11

**_then–_ **

“You gotta talk to him,” Wanda urged you, her voice filled with concern as the two of you talked on the phone. 

You were at home, your cellphone sandwiched between your ear and shoulder as you brought up a bowl of ice cream in one hand, and the other holding a huge bag of potato chips. 

You placed the bowl of ice cream onto your nightstand, the unopened bag of potato chips you chucked onto your unmade bed. 

You let out a sigh, “I don’t want to talk to him Wanda, not now, not ever.” 

You could almost hear Wanda’s eye roll at you, “(Y/N), please, you’re miserable without him. Sam told me he broke up with her the moment he saw you walk away from his dorm room.” 

“Doesn’t change the fact that he’s practically ignored me most of last year. It started way before he dated her.” 

“Just talk to him, please, the two of you need closure at least…” 

After a few more minutes, you both said your goodbyes and hung up. You throw your phone next to you. 

You grabbed the remote control underneath your covers and turned on the television, flipping the channel onto one of the movie channels, _Not Another Teen Movie_  was playing. You grabbed the bowl of ice cream from the nightstand and you took one spoonful of ice cream into your mouth, savoring the cold dessert. 

As you watched the movie, your mind wandered back to what Wanda said. Deep down you knew that you should talk to Bucky, but you were too hurt from what his ex-girlfriend said, as well as the actions he made in the past. 

You shook your head and brought your focus back onto the movie, instantly giggling at the scene; Jake Wyler’s most famous scene of him being practically naked, his chest and crotch area covered with whipped cream and other condiments in a banana split. 

You don’t notice at your window a ladder was propped next to it. Just when Janey turns away from Jake’s advances, your attention was brought to your window by a knock on the glass. 

You flinch on your bed, surprised by the noise. 

You look closely and it was none other than Bucky Barnes, he waves his free hand at you with a hopeful smile on his face. 

You groan, placing down the half-eaten bowl of ice cream onto your nightstand, getting out of your bed. 

You walk towards the window, opening it only half-way. 

“What do you want?” You ask, one hand on your waist. 

“Sweetheart,” He starts, your felt your heart beat skip at your beloved nickname. 

“Can we talk, please?” 

“We’re talking right now.” You reply stubbornly. 

“I mean,” He sighs, “Can you let me in, so we can talk properly?” He looks at you with pleading eyes.

You mumble ‘fine’ under your breath, pushing the window all the way up so he can get in. 

Once he was inside your bedroom, he closes it shut, not wanting to let the cold night air enter your room. 

He leans against the wall next to the window while you sit down on your bed, your arms crossed against your chest. 

“So?” 

“I broke up with her when you walked out of my place. I-I didn’t realize how distanced I became from you when I was with her and I just assumed that you were having your own life over there.” 

“Bucky this started way before you were going out with Dana. It just got worse when you were with her.” 

Bucky looks at you with a perplexed look on his face, his eyebrows knitted in the middle of his forehead. 

“Wh-what do you mean?” 

“Com’on Buck, around our second year of college you texted me less and less, blew off plans on coming to visit, eventually we stopped calling each other. Other than that day when I was at your apartment, the last time I heard your voice was three months before that.” 

“I-I…” He started to say, one of his hands rubbing the back of his neck. 

“We’re drifting apart Buck, and you let it happen.” You let out a sigh, “I guess, I mean I let it happen too but you promised we’d stick together.” 

“Doll…I-” He runs a hand through his hair, a look of desperation clearly painted on his face. 

You shrug your shoulders, pushing yourself off of your bed, “I guess we shouldn’t have made that kind of promise, huh?” 

The words were caught in Bucky’s throat, he wanted to say how sorry he was, it was true; even before he started dating Dana, his contact with you became bare, almost nonexistent. 

How could he let that happen? You, being one of the most constant things in his life, he himself pushed you away. 

“I’ve known you almost my whole life Buck, I don’t want to lose you but I also don’t want us to be those friends who ‘drift apart’ and act like we didn’t know what went wrong.”

_**now–** _

Wanda texts you after your work, telling you that she has to tell you something urgent. You were surprised to see her waiting for you outside of the high school you worked at, she immediately runs towards you the second she saw you.

“Wanda is everything okay?” You asked, concern written all over your face. 

“No, everything is _not_ okay! Clint drops by my place and tells me that I gotta help him with his proposal to Nat super last minute and now I’m freaking out! I have no idea what to do, what if I mess up the whole thing, oh my go-” 

You grab your friend by her shoulders, stopping her from speaking another word.

“Wanda, breathe!” 

Wanda looks at you and nods her head, taking one deep breath, exhaling it slowly.

“Okay, good, one more.” You instruct her. 

She takes another deep breath and exhales it slowly, like before.

“Better?” 

She nods, “Thanks, I get too into my head sometimes when I’m stressed.”

A small smile grows on your face, patting your friend on the shoulder. 

“Okay, lets sit down and we’ll figure out the rest.” 

The two of you walk to a nearby cafe and Wanda begins to tell you what had happened hours prior.

Clint had been planning on proposing to Natasha for weeks now, he had already picked out the venue and had the ring, but he was stuck on how he would propose to her.

“So he comes by and tells me that he plans on proposing tomorrow and now I have maybe 12 hours left to figure out what to do!”

“It doesn’t have to be super extravagant, you know how Nat is, she likes big gestures but not over the top ones.” 

“Clint did say he was thinking of compiling a video of their milestones as a couple in their relationship.” 

“Okay, that’s good. I can help you edit the video and help you decorate the place where it’ll be held. Can you text Clint to send you the videos so we can get started?” 

* * *

With a few hours of sleeping time to spare, you and Wanda finish editing the video for Clint’s proposal to Nat. 

You thought it was amazing that Clint was able to keep even videos of the two of them in elementary during one school play where Clint trips on stage and Natasha helps him up as he cried. 

The video wasn’t too long; it was a three minute video of some of the key points of their relationship. 

Wanda stayed for the night at your place, she was able to get Pietro to pick up the decorations for the party, he dropped them off a few hours earlier along with some take-out. 

_“The video looks good so far, I think she’s gonna like it.” Pietro said as he took a bite out of his pad thai.  
_

_“You really think so? The background music Wanda chose isn’t too cheesy?”_

_You asked as you stole a piece of tofu from Pietro’s plate, earning a childish pout from your friend.  
_

_“Oh, it’s definitely cheesy but it fits.”  
_

_“Thanks brother,” Wanda says, taking a bite out of a spring roll as the three of you giggle from the excitement.  
_

_“Can’t believe they’re gonna get married! I mean it’s about time but I still can’t believe it!” You state, a wide smile on your lips._

_“There was actually a bet a few years ago on when Clint would finally have the courage to ask Nat but everyone lost cause we all bet it would take way earlier.” Pietro informs you, which made your snort.  
_

_“I’m sure the two figured it out and Clint hadn’t asked Nat out cause of it.”  
_

_“Well Clint took his sweet ass time, I lost my chance to win two-hundred bucks!” Pietro pouted, you and Wanda giggled.  
_

You let out a yawn, stretching out your arms as you click save on the video editing software you used. You click on ‘sleep’ and your laptop shuts down. You look at your asleep friend on the other side of the couch, Wanda was snoring. 

You quickly grab a spare blanket in your linen closet to drape it across your friend, Wanda had been worried about the whole proposal, she deserved a few moments of shut eye. 

You move her laptop and notebook away from her sleeping form, placing it down on the coffee table in front of you. You place your own laptop next to hers as well, then stretching your arms out, accompanied by a yawn. 

You check the time and set an alarm on your phone so that the two of you can have enough time in the morning to get ready before you’d have to go to the club to set up. 

* * *

After a few hours of sleep, Wanda decided to go back to her apartment and freshen up while you brought the decorations to the club. Pietro and Clint would meet you there. 

It wasn’t too hard to set up the decorations, Pietro helped you with hanging the streamers, as well as the banner. The projector didn’t take long to set up, it was so Nat and everyone to see Clint’s proposal video. 

Clint messaged you a few times asking how things were going so far and you replied that it would be perfect. 

Clint arrived 30 minutes before the guests were supposed to come by, they were all waiting in another room until Nat arrived so she wouldn’t see them. 

You could see how nervous Clint got as the minutes ticked by, once you got the confirmation text from Wanda that Nat was entering the club, you told the other guests to stay quiet until the very end. 

Wanda guided Nat towards the middle of the room, the light were dimmed so Nat wasn’t able to see the projector behind her. 

“Clint? Where are you?” Nat called out, her face etched with worry; Clint hadn’t contacted Nat for the past day and Wanda ‘told’ her that she saw him last at the club. 

“I swear Clint, this isn’t funny!” She says, raising her voice. 

Clint turned the projector on, letting the video play. 

Nat had her eyes glued onto the wall where the video was projecting, she let out a soft gasp when the clip of Clint falling down on stage played. 

The clip ends with young Nat running up to Clint, pulling him up to his feet, her small hands wiping away young Clint’s tears from his cheeks. 

Another grainy clip began to play, it was teenage Clint filming himself in the bathroom, the video camera pointed towards the bathroom mirror. 

“So this is my first date with Natasha,” teenage Clint says, a cheesy smile on his face, “I still can’t believe she said yes!” Nat lets out a laugh seeing young Clint with his pointy hair, baggy shirt and denim jeans, his mouth full of braces. 

Another clip starts, it’s now Clint recording Natasha at prom, she had her palm out, hiding her face from the camera, “It’s Miss Prom Queen!” Clint yells out as Nat continues to glare at him, “Babe, turn it off!” 

It cuts to another clip, the video quality a little better, it was Clint recording himself and Nat, both were standing in front of a huge waterfall, “Happy Anniversary babe!” Clint says, leaning in towards Natasha for a kiss. 

Natasha was crying uncontrollably now, her hands wiping away her tears as she laughed at the memories she began to relive as she watched the video. 

The video ends, Clint turning on one of the lights, walking in front of Natasha. 

“Babe… ever since you helped me from tripping in front of our parents, I knew you were the one,” He began to kneel in front of her, taking one of her hands in his, “Will you let me love you for the rest of my life?” 

Nat nodded furiously, Clint slipped on the ring onto her finger, she quickly pulled him up, pressing a kiss onto his lips. 

You and the rest of the guests emerged from the other room and began clapping, Nat turned around and began crying even more as Clint held her onto his side, kissing her on the temple.  

* * *

Endless hugs and thank you’s were said towards you and Wanda from Nat, she scolded Clint when she found out that he left it up to last minute but all was forgiven at the end. 

The newly engaged couple went around the room to mingle with the other guests, Wanda went to check up on the status of the food while Pietro was nowhere to be found. 

You stood near the hallway of the bathroom, you scanned the room to see if everyone was having a good time. 

Your eyes locked with his, you saw him rub the back of his neck with one of his hands as he stared back at you, a faint smile ghosting on his lips. 

It felt like it had been forever since you saw him; of course you missed Bucky, you could never deny that truth. 

He made his way from across the room towards you. You stood there, frozen, as he approached you. 

“Hi,” He says, not realizing that he was holding his breath the whole time he was walking towards you. 

“H-hi,” you reply back, unsure how to respond. 

“So, Clint and Nat… can’t say I’m surprised. It’s like they were practically married in elementary.” 

You smile, nodding your head, “Yeah, they’re meant for each other.” 

Bucky clears his throat at your words, his eyes evading yours. 

“So how are you? How’s work?” He asks, changing the subject. 

“It’s good, I’ll be teaching summer school as well as the most of the first semester in fall.” 

“That’s good, I’m glad you’re doing fine. How did dinner go with your mom?”

“O-oh, yeah that, it was good. She’s good, she told me to tell you she said hi.” 

From an outsiders perspective, it was clear as day how awkward the two of you looked; Bucky had both of his hands in the pockets of his jeans, standing stiffly in front of you, while your left hand holding tightly on your right arm, your posture straight. 

“So, how have you been?” You asked, unable to bear the silence. 

Bucky shrugged his shoulders, “’S been good.” 

You cleared your throat, “Glad to hear that.” 

Bucky lets out a sigh, taking both of his hands out of his pockets, “This is ridiculous, why are we acting like this?” 

You shot him a look of disbelief, “Are you seriously asking me why we’re acting like this? You know why.” 

You let out a deep sigh, looking at him with annoyance. “I can’t believe this, we’re exactly at the spot we were almost two months ago and nothing has changed.” 

“What do you want me to do? I put my heart in the line and I’m the one at fault?” His tone sharp. 

“I didn’t say you were at fault Bucky! I’ll admit it, I messed up okay?” You felt tears pooling in the corners of your eyes. 

“I just wanted to know what we were.” Bucky says, dejectedly. 

“You know damn well we were together Bucky, label or not we were something.” 

Bucky scoffs, “Yeah, and right now, we’re nothing.” 

You bite down on your lip, forcing back the tears threatening to fall down your face. You let out a bitter chuckle, “Yeah, you’re right. Nothing.” 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! this is the last chapter of the series.

_**then–** _

Graduation day was a blur; your butt was numb from sitting on the hard plastic chairs on the football field, you were sweating up a storm under your graduation gowns, you swear that your makeup had already melted off your face after the first twenty minutes of the program. 

The only time you were able to see your friends was when they were walking towards the principal to receive their diplomas, you cheered loudly for each and every single one of them. 

When it was your turn to receive your diploma, from the crowd you could see your relatives waving a huge cut-out of your face, with all your friends cheering as you walked on by. 

It reached towards the end of the program, your graduating class was standing up from their seats, ready to throw up your graduation caps into the air. You moved the tassel to the other side and at the count of three, you all threw your caps in the air, cheering as they began to descend downward. 

Everyone started to hug one another, even if you didn’t really know them, everyone began to cheer and rejoice together. 

Once you were able to get out of the huge crowd, you began to look for your friends, you first spotted Steve who gave you a huge hug. He quickly said goodbye so he could run to his parents, you watched him dash away. 

Suddenly, your vision was blocked with two hands, you turned around to see who it was. 

“Sweetheart,” Bucky says with a huge grin on his face, you quickly pulled him into a hug, which he reciprocated. 

“I can’t believe it!” He says as the two of you pull away from the hug. 

“Yeah, we’re officially adults now!” 

You could hear his mom and dad call him, he quickly presses a kiss onto your cheek, slipping you a note on your hand. 

“I’ll see you later.” He says, winking at you playfully before breaking into a sprint towards his family. 

You rolled your eyes and chuckled at your best friend, opening up the note he passed on to you. 

_Meet me at the gym at 8._

* * *

You had just finished eating dinner with your family at your favorite restaurant, you could see your other schoolmates with their families, every single person in the whole establishment had huge smiles on their faces. 

“Hey mom, can you guys drop me off at the school after this? I’m meeting up with Bucky.” 

* * *

“Don’t be out too late! You still have to pack up your things!” You mom told you as you got out of the car. 

“I’ll be home soon! Thanks everyone!” You said as your family sped away. 

You turn to your heels and make your way towards the gym. 

You were mad at yourself for forgetting to bring your sweater along with you; you left it in the car. 

The lights in the gym were dim, you pushed open the door and heard a faint sound of music playing in the background. 

“Bucky?” You called out. 

You let out a gasp, you mouth hanging as you took in your surroundings. 

The whole gymnasium was decorated with your favorite flowers, along with light pink and white streamers all over the place. A disco ball was in the middle of the ceiling, turning about as you walked towards Bucky who was waiting for you in the middle of the room. 

“You promised me a dance, remember?” 

You let out a laugh and nodded your head, quickly falling into Bucky’s arms. 

One hand on your waist, and the other holding onto your hand, you and Bucky swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the song, both of you staring into each others’ eyes. 

As the song progressed, you rested your head onto his shoulder, his arm now around your waist, pulling you closer against him. 

“Thanks Bucky, this was perfect.” You softly say. 

Bucky pulls away from you for a moment, he takes off his favorite leather jacket and places it over your shoulders. You place your head onto his shoulder once more, this time both of your arms around his waist while Bucky held you close in his arms, his chin resting on top of your head. 

“Anything for you Sweetheart,” He says. 

* * *

The two of you walk home, Bucky’s arm around your shoulders. 

You felt as if your whole body was on fire, you felt so hot, which contrasted the cool night breeze. 

You kept stealing glances from Bucky, the two of you walking towards your house in comfortable silence. 

Once you made it to your house, you almost felt disappointed that you had to go home. 

“Thanks for walking me home Buck.” 

Bucky flashes his perfect smile, “Of course.” 

You began to take off his jacket, he stops you immediately. 

“No, its fine, keep it.” 

“Bucky, it’s freezing and I’m already home, you need it more than I do.” 

“You know me, I love the cold, I’ll be fine, just keep it for me, will ya?” 

_**now–** _

You heard your third phone alarm ring, prompting you to get out of bed or else you’d be late if you didn’t get up this very second.

You sat up, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes as you yawned. You stretched your arms, pushing yourself off of your bed, you slip on your house slippers and make your way to the bathroom.

You do your daily morning routine, brushing your teeth then washing your face which always woke you up. You go back to your nightstand and pick up your phone, pressing on the home button.

Your phone was bombarded by notifications, many were your friends greeting you a happy birthday.

_That’s right, it was your birthday._ You had **almost** forgotten _, almost._

You make a mental note to reply to all of them later, but for now you click on the Netflix app to have some background sounds as you got ready for work. You grab the outfit you set on your chair the night prior, quickly getting dressed.

You realized that you hadn’t grabbed a jacket, you walk towards the closet which had the rest of your clothes you’re still too lazy to put away. 

You grab the one nearest your feet and began rummaging to see what jacket to wear. You stare down at the leather jacket you just grabbed, feeling your whole body numb at the sight. 

_It was the jacket Bucky lent you on the night of your graduation._

Instantly, you felt tears well at the corners of your eyes, you pull the clothing into your chest, hugging it tightly. 

You smiled at the memory of the two of you dancing in the gym, realizing the feelings you felt back then felt exactly like the night you sang his favorite song at the wedding. 

_I’m such a fool._ You sigh, hating that it took you this long to figure out your feelings. You stare at the leather jacket for a few more seconds, _to hell with it_ , you thought, slipping your arms through the sleeves. 

You get out of your closet to go to the kitchen, fixing yourself up a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal.

Suddenly, you hear a knock on your door.

You open the door, not bothering to look at the peephole.

“Happy Birthday!” Wanda and Pietro yell out in excitement. 

The duo was holding a big sign that said “Happy 30th,” the twins both wearing colorful party hats. In Pietro’s other hand, he held a bottle of champagne, while Wanda was holding a bottle of orange juice.

You smile at the two, moving out of the way to let them in. You close the door behind them, once inside they begin to sing to you ‘Happy Birthday’.

You hug them both, one arm draped across their shoulders.

“Are you ready for the best birthday brunch?” Wanda excitedly says, her shoulders doing a small shimmy. 

“I’m gonna have to do a rain check on that, I have work today.” 

“What? But it’s your birthday!” Pietro immediately pouts. 

“Sorry, I know I said I was gonna take the day off but I decided I’ll just go to work. We can go to brunch this weekend.” You offer. 

Wanda pouts but nods her head, “Fine,” she replies childishly, earning a chuckle from her twin brother.

“Thank you for this, I really appreciate it.” You say, hugging them individually this time. 

Both Wanda and Pietro give each of your cheeks a kiss before leaving, Pietro making you pinky swear to have brunch on the upcoming Saturday or you’d have to wash his car.

The rest of the day flew by and next thing you know, it was your last period. There was ten minutes of class left and you gave the students free time, especially since prom was that night.

Toby, one of your students stood up suddenly, clearing his throat, “Teach, we have a present for you.”

One by one, the students started to stand up, and began to sing you a happy birthday. You felt tears well up in the corners of your eyes, you hadn’t expect for them to do this for you.

Once they were done, you clapped and thanked them all.

“You guys are the best!” You say, a sense of pride and joy you felt towards all of them. 

You weren’t there as their music teacher for too long but you already felt so close with all of them.

“I’ll see you all at prom tonight! Be on your best behavior.” ‘Awws’ and laughter filled the room as they all started packing up, the bell to dismiss them was going to ring soon. 

You started to organize your papers as well, in half an hour you were supposed to report to the gym to help out in preparation for the prom.

“You’re going stag?” Michelle asked as she placed her backpack onto her shoulders. 

Toby nodded, “You going stag too, right?”

Michelle shrugged her shoulders, “Seem’s like it.”

The two began to leave the room with the rest of the students and within seconds you were alone.

You grabbed your phone from your back pocket, checking your notifications. You let out a frustrated sigh, feeling mad that you were still waiting for Bucky to greet you a happy birthday.

You knew it was your fault; how you and Bucky ended was something you regret the second it happened but you were too scared.

You knew that you love him, that ever since you were kids he was going to be your first and _possibly_ last love.

But you were afraid; if you let yourself fully acknowledge your feelings for him, then that meant that Bucky would no longer be _just_ your best friend and that terrified you. 

The transition from friends to lovers wasn’t difficult; it was the afterwards that scared you. How long would the two of you last? It was one thing to be lifetime friends, how could you be so sure he’s ‘the one’?

Your fears overcame you which led to your broken relationship.

You close your eyes tightly, shaking your head to prevent any tears from falling, you let out a sigh, pushing your thoughts and Bucky to the back of your head.

You almost regretted your decision to wear his jacket for the day, but at the same time it was the one thing that helped you get through it. 

* * *

“You’re miserable without her and you know it.” Steve tells Bucky who was lounging on his office chair, his gaze on the ceiling. 

“She doesn’t want me Steve.” 

Steve rolls his eyes at his best friend, wanting to throw the rubber-band ball he had on his desk towards his best friend.

“That’s bull and you know it.” 

“I put my heart on the line and she rejects me, how can you say its bull if she told me she doesn’t want to be with me.” 

“She didn’t say that.” 

“I could see it in her eyes, she hesitated.” 

Steve let’s out a frustrated huff, “Maybe she was scared to take it to the next level? You gotta admit it was unfair of you to spring that on her out of the blue and expect an answer like that. And you were a first-grade jerk to her at Clint and Nat’s proposal party.” 

“You’re supposed to be on my side,” Bucky whines, sitting up straight on his chair. 

“I am on your side but you’re being a child Buck. The two of you love each other but you both are way too stubborn to swallow your pride.”  

“So what should I do then?” 

“Just go to her and pour your heart out one last time. You know her, she needs that one last push.” 

* * *

Hundreds and hundreds of black, gold, and white balloons were scattered all over the gym floor, white and gold streamers hung all over the place, the room began to resemble a hotel ballroom and less like a gym.

You smiled at your hard work, along with the rest of the prom committee, you remembered the time you helped out Nat set up your prom, happy emotions began to flood your body. 

You stood up from the floor, moving some of the balloons out of your way. You turn around to walk towards the bathrooms, you wanted to freshen up your makeup before prom started. 

You stopped at your tracks when you met a pair of striking blue eyes that you love so much. 

Bucky came hurdling towards you, he looked as if he was on a mission. 

Once he stopped right in front of you, you began to ask him why he’s here when, 

“What are you-” 

“I love you.” Bucky blurted out. “I love you so fucking much, I’m sorry for not being patient. I understand if you need more time, I can wait, I think I’ve been waiting for you my whole childhood so I can wait a another decade or so-” 

You shook your head, grabbing him by his shirt collar, pulling him into a quick kiss. 

“I love you too Bucky, I’m sorry it took me this long. I was-I was just scared that we couldn’t work out as lovers that I didn’t want to take the risk. I know now that I was wrong I-” Bucky cups your face into his hands, pressing a kiss onto your forehead. 

“God we talk too much when we should just kiss.” 

You let out a chuckle, nodding your head, “Agreed.” 

Your arms wrap around his neck, Bucky’s hands on your waist, just when he leans in for a kiss, he stops midway, causing you to look at him in confusion. 

“Isn’t this my jacket?” His eyes scanning you from waist up. 

“Yeah, I-I saw it in my closet, I didn’t have any other jackets cause they’re in the wash.” You tell him, knowing he’d see right through your lie. 

He shakes his head, “Uh-huh, you ran out of jackets,” He lets out a chuckle, “I’m sure you did,” 

You playfully glare at him, trying to break free from his hold, “Quit teasin’ me Barnes, or you won’t get any more kisses.” 

His grip on you tightens, “Nuh-uh Doll, you’re not gettin’ away from me again, I’m a fool to have left you once, this time I’m staying.” 

You shake your head at how cheesy he was acting, “So this is what I’m gonna be stuck with for the rest of my life?” 

Bucky lets out a laugh, leaning in closer to your face, “You love it, you love me.” 

You nod in agreement, you press a light kiss on his lips, “I do,” you say before kissing him once again. 

 

* * *

* * *

##  **_EPILOGUE;_ **

It was around five in the morning, you and Bucky were sitting on his bed, you were cradled in his arms, your back pressed against his warm chest, his chin resting on your shoulder as the two of you watched the sunrise. 

Bucky presses a faint kiss onto your neck, you smile at the gesture. 

“So, soon-to-be-wifey, what should we do next?” He asks, his hold onto your waist tightens. 

You smile, shrugging your shoulders, “You could move in with me.” 

He nuzzles his nose at the crook of your neck, tickling you. “I like the sound of that.” 

_These last two months were a whirlwind of emotions, from the pact to going to your ex’s wedding to professing your love for one another at the very spot the two of you danced that very night, life had a way with making things interesting._  

You turn your body so that you were facing Bucky. He looked at you with a adoration and love, you couldn’t help but melt under his gaze. 

You cup one of his cheek with your hand, caressing his cheek with your thumb. Bucky closes his eyes, bringing his hand up, covering yours with his, he brings your palm up to his lips, kissing it softly. 

“We don’t have to do anything drastic, just know I’m here for you always.” 

You smile at his sentiment and nod your head. 

“Thanks Buck, but I think we should get married now, like right now.” 

Bucky looks at you as if you grew another head, “Wait- are you, are you serious?” 

You stare at him with blank look on your face before cracking up. 

“You should see the look on your face! OH my gosh!” You laughed, your stomach began to hurt. 

“Oh Sweetheart, you’ll be the death of me.” He lets out a chuckle before tickling your sides. 

“Wait, Bucky, please!” You say in-between laughs, “I was kidding, this isn’t fair”! 

He flips the two of you onto the bed, you were lying down, back flat on the bed, while he held both of your wrists above your head. 

“Pretty sure being tickled to death is fair for making me pout.” 

“Barnes you know that’s bullshit and-HAHAHA! Bucky!” He continued to tickle you at your sides, tears trickling down your cheeks from laughter. 

“You’re stuck with me Doll,” He says, a hearty chuckle escaping his lips, stopping his actions. 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” You say, grabbing him from the back of his neck into a kiss. 


End file.
